MMC polls: CM game as supporters draw battle lines

MMC polls: CM game as supporters draw battle lines
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, OCT 10
It’s official. Congressmen will cross swords against each other in the ensuing battle for the Margao Civic polls in the home town of Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat.
Almost in all the 10 Municipal wards falling in the Margao area of the civic body, Kamat’s supporters brace up to take on each other. And, the Chief Minister, who returned to Goa two days ago, has no plans to cut short the political ambition of many a loyal supporter and would not mind his supporters engaged in friendly fights in the polls.
Saying he is not fielding any panel in his home town, the Chief Minister publicly admitted that his supporters are in the fray in many wards of the Margao Civic body. “There are 2-3 supporters vying for honours in the wards. If there was a single candidate the situation would have been different”, Kamat told Herald.
“Many of my supporters have nursed ambition to enter the Civic body. I cannot stop their ambition. It is not fair on my part to stop someone from contesting”, Kamat said, adding since the polls are not fought on party lines, the situation is different.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that almost all the candidates swear allegiance to you and claim his support to their candidature, Kamat said “that’s ok, I have no problem  if they say so”.
That Kamat supporters are in the fray are amply evident by the number of nominations filed before the Returning officer till date. Take the case of ward No 20. His two young supporters – Andrew Sequeira and Damu Shirodkar – are expected to slog out and may give advantage for the BJP in the ward.
Similarly, his supporter and former MMC Chairperson Doris Texeira is trying to make a comeback from Khareband ward. But, another Kamat’s supporter Vivek Kavlekar, relative of sitting Councilor, Avita Kavlekar, who joined the Congress after quitting the BJP at the instance of the Chief Minister, is also in the fray.
MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho’s wife Pratima will contest from Ward No 16, but close supporters of the Chief Minister are likely to cross swords against Pratima.
Kamat’s relative, Laxmikant Kamat has filed his papers for Ward No 18, but another supporter of the Chief Minister, Cruz Martins has also filed his papers from the same ward.
In fact, Martins claimed that he had withdrawn from the fray last time due to Kamat’s intervention, but says he is determined to contest the ensuing polls.