PONDA: The Election to the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Chairperson’s post will be held on May 21.
The Director of Municipal Administration has fixed the above date as the tenure of the sitting council ends on May 20.
It is confirmed that MGP-BJP alliance will form the Council as per the directions of top leaders from both the parties.
The frontrunners for the Chairperson’s post include MGP-backed panel members namely Geetali Talvlikar and Pradeep Naik and BJP-backed panel members Shantaram Colvenkar and Vishwanath Dalvi.
However, since the MGP-backed panel has the highest number of seven elected members it is most likely that one of them will be elected as the chairperson while the Deputy would be elected from the BJP-backed panel.
In 15-member PMC MGP-backed panel has seven members, BJP-backed panel five and Congress-backed panel three.
It may be recalled that the MGP-BJP alliance suffered a minor jolt when two members from BJP-backed panel Venktesh Naik and Chandrakala Naik decided withdrew support to the MGP-backed panel.
When asked as to why he is opposing support to the MGP in forming the council, Venktesh had claimed that PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar during recent civic poll campaign had accused the sitting council of being the most corrupt.
“Since three of the incumbent councillors including me have now been re-elected then how can Sudin expect support from us when he had labelled that council as most corrupt,” he had said.
“PWD Minister campaigned against us during the civic poll and despite the campaign, the people voted and elected us,” he had claimed.
He had asked the PWD Minister whether he could tolerate the support of those councillors whom he had alleged to be a part of a “corrupt” council. “It is because of such allegations by the PWD Minister, I will not support the MGP-backed panel,” he had said.
Venktesh, who has been elected for the third term had said it is not that only the MGP can form the council since elections are not held on party lines. All likeminded members elected from the panels may even come together and form the Council.
Venktesh’s sister-in-law Chandrakala Naik, who is a first-timer, supported his stand.
