Babush panel sweeps CCP polls

Wins 27 out of total 30 seats; Utpal Parrikar settles for 3

Panaji: Revenue Minister and BJP’s Panaji MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate’s panel ‘For A Progressive Panaji’, swept the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections, retaining his hold over the lone municipal corporation in the state on Friday.

The Monserrate panel secured 27 out of 30 seats, defeating the ‘Ami Panjekar’ panel, backed by former defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar.  This is an improvement for Monserrate from the 2021 CCP elections when his panel had won 25 seats in the 30-member municipal corporation.

According to political observers, Monserrate’s victory is considered as big as Utpal’s panel had the backing of Congress and AAP, for the first time. Congress bigwigs had also campaigned in Panaji. Utpal’s panel secured only three seats.

The civic body polls were held on March 11, and vote counting began on Friday morning.

In all, there were 69 candidates in the fray including Independent candidates. Interesting fights were witnessed in two wards – ward 9 and ward 17. In ward 9, Kabir Pinto Makhija of the Monserrate panel turned a giant killer by defeating seven-time councillor and former mayor Surendra Furtado of the Ami Panjekar panel. Ward 17 witnessed a very close fight with Ami Panjekar-backed Jack Ajit Sukhija defeating Jorge  Edward (Eddie) backed by For A Progressive Panaji panel merely by two votes.

Sukhija who is a grandson of Goa’s first Opposition leader Dr Jack Sequeira, considered as Father of Opinion Poll, said his victory is the victory of the community in the election. He said people cutting across party lines and activists supported him. He is currently President of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.

The highest margin was secured in ward II, where Carolina Po, former mayor, defeated Uma Volvoikar by 354 votes.

Speaking to mediapersons after securing victory, Monserrate said, “I am grateful to the party for giving me the opportunity to lead this panel. The victory shows how strong BJP is and how strong the karyakartas of Panaji are. I owe this win to the party.”

When asked about Makhija defeating Furtado, the cabinet minister   said, “No candidate should ever think that they are above the people. It is the people who are supreme.

“It is the people’s displeasure against the candidates who have lost.”

When asked about the mayor candidate, he said that the party will decide the mayor.

Utpal Parrikar, in a post on social media, said, “While the results are not what we had hoped for, this journey was never only about winning seats. It was about bringing citizens together to talk about the future of Panaji about better planning, transparency, and accountable governance that truly puts people first.”

“My commitment to Panaji does not end with this election. We will continue to engage with citizens, raise issues that matter, and work constructively to address the challenges our city faces. Public life is a long journey. There will be victories and setbacks, but what must remain constant is the intention to serve,” he said.

Utpal Parrikar said they were expecting to win at least ten wards, adding that their panel must have lost the polls perhaps due to delimitation and reservation of wards at the last minute.

He said his panel got 6,000 votes, which is almost similar to the votes polled by him in the last assembly elections. He had lost by less than 700 votes.