The upcoming council election of the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) is going to be a big test for Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate after 10 out of 16 wards, comprising of those wards that he has ruled in being reserved for the polls on March 6.
Though Monserrate claims that he is ready with replacements in these 10 wards, councilors, who will now have to make way for new faces seem not very happy with BJP’s ‘political arbitrary’ reservations.
Of the total 30 CCP wards, 16 wards have been reserved for women (10 including three OBC), five for Other Backward Class (OBC) and one for Schedule Tribe (ST).
Monserrate has his eight seats reserved for women including three for OBC women and one for ST. The reserved wards include ward No 1 (ST), 3 (OBC-W), 6 (OBC-W), 8 (Women), 11 (women), 14 (women), 17 (women), 20 (women), 23 (OBC-W) and 26 (women). “I don’t feel this reservation will have any impact. I was always ready with the replacement. These cheap political moves were expected from the BJP who seem confident that they won’t be able to win the majority,” Monserrate said. “I will make sure the BJP doesn’t get more than 3 seats this election,” the St Cruz MLA added.
On the other hand, of the total 14 seats ruled by BJP, only six seats are reserved, wherein in most of the cases, the seats are occupied by the reserved category only.
Monserrate’s long standing councilors like former Mayor Yatin Parekh, deputy Mayor Rudresh Chodankar, seating deputy Mayor Bento Lorena will have to make way for new faces. The new corporators like former deputy Mayor Kabir Makhija, Prajot Vaingankar, Krishna Shirodkar and others will also be replaced as per the new reservation list.
Speaking to Herald, councillor Yatin Parekh said that both the reservation and delimitation process has been done in complete favour of the BJP. “Though the election commission says that the process is as per a rotation policy, it does not look like that has happened,” he alleged.
When asked, Bento Lorena claimed that the reservation has been done as per the rotation process. The Monserrate ruled 16 wards- including two of independent candidates -Surendra Furtado and Ruth Furtado- have always been his strong hold in the past several elections. The BJP never managed to get its hold on these wards, irrespective of who the candidate had been.
The MLA has said that he will announce his panel by January 31, which will see at least ten to 12 new faces.
Meanwhile the Congress (see report on Page 1) has decided to field its own panel in the CCP elections, independent of Monseratte’s panel which will throw open ther CCP race completely
