Former Sarpanchas back in saddle at Chandor-Cavorim, Guirdolim

Former sarpanchas have taken over the reins of the panchayats of the twin villages of Chandor-Cavorim and Guirdolim. While Estefanio Dias and Sonia Fernandes have become sarpanchas of Chandor-Cavorim and Guirdolim respectively. Nancy Antao has been elected the deputy sarpanch of Chandor-Cavorim and Guirdolim has Joao Peixote as its deputy sarpanch. Coincidentally, both panchayat members elected from ward No. 1 have become the deputy sarpanchas of the two villages.

While Sonia, Joao and Estafanio were elected unopposed to their positions, Nancy was elected as Deputy Sarpanch of Chandor-Cavorim following voting as there was a contest for this post. Nancy polled five votes while her opponent Pamela Castanha got only one vote as one panchayat member, Hipolito Dias was not present when voting was done. Fiel alias Babazinho Dias proposed and Hipolito Dias seconded Pamela’s nomination, and after that Hipolito left the panchayat office but did not return when polling was held at 12:03 noon. This indicates that Pamela secured only her vote as even Babazinho who proposed her candidature voted for her opponent.

In Chandor Cavorim all the winning candidates got more than 50 per cent of the total votes polled while in Guirdolim where elections were held in all seven wards, in four wards the winning candidates got more than 50 per cent of the votes cast.

Interestingly two persons who returned to their homeland from overseas and contested the elections, lost. In Cavorim-Chandor former sarpanch Savio Henriques who had returned from the United Kingdom lost while in Guirdolim Menino D’Costa who calls himself Badshah 0010 who returned from the Middle East faced a defeat. While Savio states that he has returned to Goa for good, Menino has publicly declared that he will return to work in the Gulf.

Another interesting tidbit is that three of the four male panchas of Chandor-Cavorim panchayat have Dias as their surname, but are not related to each other.

The new sarpanchas and deputy sarpanchas were elected on August 22, but the village is rife with assertions that the two posts will be held in rotation. In Chandor-Cavorim it is believed that all the four male panchayat members will occupy the post of the sarpanch in rotation while the deputy sarpanch post will be shared by the two lady panchayat members from Yuri’s panel namely Nancy and Maria Menezes while Pamela Castanha will remain as just a panchayat member.

In Guirdolim too it is believed that the sarpanch will be in rotation as another former sarpanch and one former deputy sarpanch were understood to be strongly lobbying for it.

Incidentally at Chandor-Cavorim, Derick Braganza Pereira has been elected to the panchayat for the fourth term. He earlier served as a panchayat member from 2002 to 2007, 2007 to 2012 and 20017 to 2022. He lost the elections in 2012. Estafanio Dias has been elected to the panchayat for the third time. Earlier, he was a pancha from 2002 to 2007 and 2007 to 2012.

In Chandor-Cavorim the panel backed by MLA Yuri Alemao swept the polls winning in six of the seven wards and in three wards the new panchas were elected unopposed. They are Estefanio Dias in ward No. 4, Maria Sequeira e Menezes in ward No. 5 which was reserved for women and Hipolito Dias in ward No. 6.

Affiliates of the newly formed Goa Revolutionary Party who contested from wards reserved for women had mixed fortunes in Chandor-Cavorim as one won and the other was the runners up. While Pamela Castanha won in Ward No. 2 representing Mena, Covatem, Alisha Fernandes lost in Ward No. 1 which comprised of Igorjebhat and Culsabhat. Both, while admitting that they support the Goa Revolutionary Party asserted that they contested the panchayat elections as independent, and not as their party candidates.

In ward No. 1 reserved for women Angeella Freeda Nancy Rosy Mendes e Antao commonly known as Nancy secured 135 votes which accounts to 54. 88 per cent of the total 246 votes cast in the ward. Alisha Fernandes polled 98 votes while Dorothy Joseph D’Costa got 9 votes. This ward witnessed 61.04 per cent voter turnout as 246 of the total registered 403 voters exercised their ballot, thus giving a voter turnout of 61.04%. Incidentally Nancy’s husband Babun Antao is presently on the staff of Cavorim-Chandor panchayat.

In ward No. 2 which was also reserved for women Pamela Bruna Castanha won polling 192 of the total 371 votes cast, hence securing 51.75 per cent votes. Myra Calida Cardozo got 113 votes and Maria Natividade Corte came in the third position with 64 votes. Of the total 616 voters registered in this ward, 371 voted thus giving a voting percentage of 66.22.

In ward No. 3 which was hotly contested, former Sarpanch Derrick Alberto Braganza Pereira defeated another former sarpanch Savio Armando Henriques. While Derrick bagged 257 votes which is 59.55 per cent of the votes cast, Savio got 98 votes. The third candidate who was a lady namely Tamsin Bhanu N Noor got 48 votes. Of the 544 registered voters in this ward, 398 voted thus giving a voting percentage of 73.16.

Incidentally Savio was the sarpanch for one year and seven months from February 2002 to September 2003, while Derrick was the sarpanch for 2 years 11 months from February 2008 to January 2011.

As mentioned earlier in ward Nos. 4, 5 and 6 which had total 369, 296 and 257 registered voters respectively, the three panchas were elected unopposed.

In ward No. 7 which had a quadrangular contest Eugenia Fiel Fidelis Dias more popularly known as Babazinho won having polled 95 votes which was 51.91 per cent of the votes cast. He was followed by Transfiguracao Robert Cardoso who got 59 votes while Malbon Cardozo got 25 votes and Costancio Miguel D’Costa polled 2 votes. Of the 242 registered voters in this ward 183 exercised their franchise thus resulting in 75.61 per cent voting.

 

In Guirdolim candidates who backed Yuri at the Assembly elections won in five of the seven wards while in one ward the winner claimed to be the “people’s choice” not willing to align with any political force in another, the winner was an opponent of the Congress camp.

In ward No. 1 where six candidates contested, Joao Peixote who claims to be “People’s candidate” won securing 114 of the total 289 votes cast hence securing 39.45 per cent votes. In second place was Arcanjo Marcus Gonsalves who got 55 votes, followed by Vitorino Gonsalves who polled 51 votes. In the fourth position was Jose Sebastiao Souza who secured 31 votes followed by Manuel D’Costa who got 27 votes and in the last place was Miguel Joao D’Costa with 5 votes. Of the total 427 registered voters in this ward, 289 voted thus giving a polling percentage of 67.68.

Ward No. 2 which was reserved for Scheduled Tribe witnessed a triangular fight where Donaldo Peixoto won polling 117 of the 294 votes cast thereby securing 39.80 per cent votes. In the second position was Joao Francisco Hanchik Peixoto who got 88 votes followed closely by Remigio Johny Fernandes who got 84 votes. Of the 432 registered voters in this ward, 289 voted hence 68.05 per cent of the registered voters participated.

In ward No. 3 that had a quadrangular fight including two brothers pitted against each other, former Deputy Sarpanch Franky Rodrigues won securing 127 votes which was 58.80 per cent of the valid votes. He was followed by Claudius D’Costa alias Gidwan who secured 69 votes. In the third position was Menino D’Costa with 14 votes. His brother Francisco D’Costa got 7 votes. This ward had 60.16 voting percentage as 216 of the 359 registered voters cast their ballots. Incidentally Franky was a deputy sarpanch of the village from 19th June 2017 to 22nd January 2020 when he resigned to honour the promise to occupy that office for only half the term. This is the third time he is being elected to the panchayat.

In ward No. 4 which witnessed a quadrangular battle, a former panch Ballu Ranu Nistani emerged victorious defeating an ex-sarpanch, ex-deputy sarpanch and former sarpanch. Incidentally Ballu was a staunch supporter of the rebel BJP candidate at the recently held Assembly elections. He secured 98 votes giving him 35.13 per cent of the total votes cast.

In the second place was former deputy sarpanch Sanjay Anand Zamodkar who polled 80 votes followed by ex-sarpanch Janety Jeorgina Cardoso e Silveira who got 68 votes and in the last place was ex-deputy sarpanch Brian James Pereira who polled 23 votes. This ward had a 72.65 per cent voter turnout as 279 of the 384 registered voters exercised their franchise.

Ballu was a pancha of the village from 2012 to 2017 while Janety was the sarpanch from 3rd July 2019 till the administrator took over on 20th June 2022 and Brian was a deputy sarpanch from 22nd February 2020 till the time the administrator took over and Sanjay Zambodkar was a deputy sarpanch before the last panchayat body was elected.

In the remaining three wards which were all reserved for women, there were straight fights as only two candidates contested in each of these wards. And all three claim their allegiance to the local MLA Yuri Alemao.

In ward No. 5 former Deputy Sarpanch and former Sarpanch Flavia Marta Mathew Fijardo also known as Flavia da Costa, won securing 161 votes which was 54.58 per cent of the votes cast. She defeated Cynara Laurina Baptista who got 128 votes. Of the total 450 registered voters in this ward 295 voted thus giving a voter turnout of 65.55 per cent. Flavia served as a deputy sarpanch 28th October 2014 but was the sarpanch earlier from 31st January 2002 to 28th December 2005.

 

In ward No. 6 another former Sarpanch Sonia Fernandes won very comfortably polling 228 votes or rather 63.33 per cent of the votes cast. She defeated Melba Catarina Antao who got 129 votes. Of the total 562 voters registered in this ward. 360 cast their ballots thereby resulting in 64.05 per cent voter turnout. Incidentally Sonia got elected from a different ward this time as for the earlier two elections she was elected from ward No. 7.

In the last ward Milagrina Gomes e D’Costa won polling 160 votes or rather 59.04 per cent of the votes cast. She defeated Maria Antao who got 102 votes. In this ward 271 of the registered 425 voters cast their votes, thus the voter turnout was 63.76 per cent.

 

An interesting fact of the new panchayat members elected in Guirdolim is that three of the panchas will be serving their third terms and these are Sonia Fernandes, Flavia da Costa and Franky Rodrigues, all of whom were reportedly clamouring to be the sarpanch which battle was won by Sonia.