Team Herald
MARGAO: All together 127 persons who have served either as a sarpanch or deputy sarpanch or panch had contested the panchayat elections this time around and out of them only 53 succeeded in getting re-elected.
Of the 80 panchas that contested, only 27 were successful and of the 13 deputy sarpanchas who had contested only four were elected again. Incidentally, of the 20 sarpanchas 15 were re-elected while of the 14 ex-sarpanchas who had contested seven emerged victorious.
Rupesh Naik in Curtorim won by the highest margin of 657 votes in Salcete and little wonder that he is selected to be the sarpanch of the village. Other outgoing panchayat members who won by a huge margin are Glyda Rodrigues Fernandes in Benaulim who won by 373 votes and Marcelinho Faria from Verna who won by 350 votes.
There was a Luis connection amongst the outgoing panchayat members who were re-elected by a margin of only one vote. Gaudencio Luis the outgoing sarpanch of Orlim and Luis Oliveira the outgoing panchayat member of Rachol, won by just one vote.
Outgoing panchayat member of Colva Natalina Fernandes got only one vote which was the least amongst the four candidates in the fray in that ward.
In Ambelim, outgoing panchayat member Denica Coutinho defeated the outgoing deputy sarpanch Tyron Fernandes by a margin of 143 votes.
The only co-opted panchayat member of the last term in Davorlim Dicarpale lost the elections when he contested it and was placed third in the ward reserved for SC.
Neighbouring Rumdamoll Davorlim panchayat voted for a new brigade as four outgoing panchayat members along with one former panchayat member were defeated.
Seraulim, Cana Benaulim, Macasana, Varca, Rachol, San Jose de Areal, Carmona, Sarzora, Verna, Nagoa, Majorda-Utorda-Calata, Paroda and Orlim are some of the villages where the outgoing sarpanchas were voted back to the panchayat.
