the goan I network
PANAJI
Candidates from the Babush camp -- Vitthal Chopdekar and Asmita Kerkar -- will be announced on Wednesday as the capital city’s new mayor and deputy mayor, respectively after they became the only two candidates in the fray for the posts.
The opposing BJP-backed camp decided against fielding candidates against Babush Monserrate’s candidates.
The last date for filing nominations has now past.
The elections were scheduled to be held on March 14, however since the two will be elected unopposed, the announcement is expected to be only a formality.
Both Chopdekar and Kerkar are from the Babush camp and make up fifteen members of the 30-member Council.
With the support of incumbent Mayor Surendra Furtado and his wife Ruth, they were seventeen members leaving the BJP-backed group with just 13.
Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, a politician hailing from the neighbouring Taleigao constituency, who controls the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), had earlier promised incumbent Mayor Surendra Furtado that he would be allowed to complete the full five-year term.
Monserrate’s reneging on his promise would mean the end of the association between Furtado and Monserrate which lasted all of two years.
Furtado and his wife Ruth were not part of the meeting where Monserrate made his decision known.
Earlier Monserrate had appealed to the opposing camp to support his party’s candidates.
“I believe that in order to move forward, everyone needs to come together to work for Panaji. Whether they will vote on our side I haven’t spoken about. We have to come together. The inputs of Siddharth (Kuncalienker) will also be required,” Monserrate told The Goan.
