PANJIM: It was a moment of pride for Goa after Imtiyaz Shaikh, a former student of St Andrew’s School, Vasco became the first Goan-Indian origin to be appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Swindon for 2023-24.
Imtiyaz’s happiness doubled as his wife Adorabelle Amaral Shaikh became the first Goan-Indian origin Cabinet member position for Education in Swindon and Deputy Mayoress for the year 2023-24.
Goans spread across the globe have been making the motherland proud in many ways and it is for the first time that an Indian has been appointed Deputy Mayor of Swindon Council in Britain.
Imtiyaz won the Council elections for the third time, while his wife Adorabelle has been re-elected for the second time to the Borough Council. Barbara Peri took charge of the Mayor’s chair of the Swindon Council after which Imtiyaz received his appointment to the post of the Deputy.
Imtiyaz’s parents and three brothers reside near the St Andrews Church area.
His friends and former classmates were extremely elated on receiving the news of his appointment as deputy mayor.
Imtiyaz’s friend Pritam Naik, who resides in Vasco said, “I can’t be happy enough for my friend Imtiyaz. He has always been helpful and now we are proud of him.”
“While being in Swindon, Imtiyaz has recruited dozens of Goan youth who went seeking jobs. I thank him wholeheartedly and wish him all the best in serving the people even better,” he added.
As councillors, the Shaikh couple have played a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 in helping people especially the Goans staying in Swindon. The couple reached out to several people in Swindon during the Covid-19 pandemic to get them tested, providing medicines and hospitalisation through ‘Swindon: It’s all up to us’ campaign.
Imtiyaz said, “Thank you to the South Swindon Labor Party, fellow Swindon Labor councillors and fellow councillors of the Chamber for appointing me as Deputy Mayor of Swindon.”
The Swindon Labor Party won the election with a landslide victory in the second week of May. The party took control of Swindon Borough Council after the elections with 33 seats, a majority of nine in the Euclid Street chamber.
