Team Herald
PONDA: With musical chairs being played at the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC), Pondaites saw four chairpersons in the past four-year period and the council will get a fifth chief on Tuesday. The PMC chairperson’s post fell vacant on Monday after the resignation of Shantaram Colvekar who was the chief for around six months.
Ponda locals, however, say the instability in the council will continue since the taluka has not witnessed major changes in development despite having four chairpersons since April 2018. The civic elections are normally fought on non-party lines but in reality the chairperson is picked up by panels which are affiliated to different parties.
The 15-member PMC councillors are affiliated either to BJP, MGP, Congress or Goa Forward Party, but keep the game of musical chairs going by changing their party according to convenience.
Ritesh Naik, son of Ponda MLA Ravi Naik, had joined BJP in May last year, hoping he would get the chairperson’s post. However, Shantaram Colvenkar, backed by five MGP councillors and two Goa Forward Party councillors upset Ritesh’s aspiration with an 8-7 victory margin, to become the chairperson. Colvenkar resigned on Monday to make way for a fifth chairperson.
After forming the Council in 2018, Pradeep Naik became first chairperson in May 2018. One year later Venkatesh Naik became chairperson for one year from Aug 2019, followed by Vishwanath Davli who took over in Aug, 2020 and later Shantaram Colvenkar in May, 2021.
