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BJP wrests control of Goa’s Margao municipality, not without hiccups
Damodar Shirodkar’s victory comes days after the ordinance that amended the Goa Municipalities Act to require voting for elections of chairperson and vice chairperson to be held by ‘show of hands’ rather than secret ballot.
The Bharatiya Janata Partry-backed Damodar Shirodkar was elected unopposed as chairperson of the municipal council of South Goa town of Margao, weeks after he lost the election due to cross-voting to his rival candidate, Ganashyam Shirodkar. But Ganashyam Shirodkar, who was backed by the Goa Forward Party, did not survive for long and resigned after a no-confidence motion was moved against him.
Damodar Shirodkar’s victory comes days after the ordinance that amended the Goa Municipalities Act to require voting for elections of chairperson and vice chairperson to be held by ‘show of hands’ rather than secret ballot.
Damodar Shirodkar’s previous defeat in the September 16 election was seen as a huge loss of face for Digambar Kamat, the former chief minister who switched from the Congress to join the BJP last month.
On Sunday, eight Margao Municipal Council (MMC) councillors - seven owing allegiance to Kamat and one supported by Goa Forward Party - formally joined the BJP.
On Monday evening, the BJP moved its councillors to a hotel to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment faced in September when its candidate lost the election despite holding a majority in the 25-member council.
“Satisfy your greed but why murder democracy? Freshly defected Digambar Kamat criticises MMC councillors’ cross-voting. Nothing can be this farcical and absurd. We’ll abstain, get your chairperson elected. But why resort to tyrannical ordinances and destroy democracy and Goa?” Goa Forward Supremo Vijai Sardesai said on the ordinance that firmly ended the practice of secret ballot at local body elections.
Vijay Sardesai and Digambar Kamat had joined hands two and a half years ago against the BJP for the leadership role in the Margao municipal council. As part of the arrangement, a councillor from Sardesai’s party was to be the mayor for the first half of the five-year term and a councillor from the Kamat camp would be for the second half.
As the halfway point was reached, Sardesai’s councillor resigned as mayor leading to elections. But in the interim, Digambar Kamat switched from the Congress to BJP and the pact was off. This time, BJP and Kamat fielded a joint candidate for the post in the September 16 election.
