Most members of the ruling panel who have been frustrated with the
style of functioning of the mayor, want ‘Parivartan’ in the form of a
new face at the helm of affairs.

Sources say, in a recent one-to-one meeting with chief minister Manohar Parrikar,
most members of the ruling panel said that they would like to have a
new person take charge as mayor instead of Naik continuing in the
office. Naik completes her one-year term this month.

Election to the post of mayor and deputy is scheduled to be held on March 20.

The ruling councilors have rallied behind a young councilor Shubham Chodankar, sources say.

“He has shown some enterprise, whereas Naik has always been indecisive on every issue,” said a BJP insider.

A councilor from the ruling panel said even in simple matters, she did
not take a decision. “Every time, she is questioned she will point
fingers at the chief minister,” said sources in the CCP.

Parrikar was supposed to meet the councilors on Sunday evening to decide
on the issue but the meeting did not happen as he could not excuse
himself from preparation of the budget session that begins on Monday.

Immediately, after their success in the assembly election in March last
year – the BJP-supported panel succeeded in getting two members of the
Atanasio Monserrate panel with a total 16 members – to change sides.

Tony Rodrigues and Carolina Po
joined hands with the BJP-supported panel that had 12 members. Plus the
support of independent members Surendra Furtado and his wife Ruth
Furtado enabled the BJP panel to get hold of the corporation.

The change brought down the strength of the Monserrate panel to 14.

The opposition panel members have also made an attempt to bring their members back into the fold.

Deputy mayor Rodrigues and Po are in no mood to change sides, sources said.

Rudesh Chodankar from the opposition panel is likely to file his
nomination for the mayor’s post whereas Bento Lorena will contest the
deputy mayor’s post.

The other two contenders for the mayor’s
post are Surendra Furtado and Tony Rodrigues. Whether Naik succeeds in
getting a second term or not will be known mostly by Monday night, when
Parrikar will trash out the issue. Tuesday is the last day to file
nomination papers for the election.