Zilla Parishad, South Andaman: Technically Yours, Kuldeep

LOA Vol 36 - Issue - 02 - 15 Oct 2012

Zilla Parishad, South Andaman

Technically Yours, Kuldeep

Abala Sammaddar, the Zilla Parishad member of Vijaynagar constituency, Havelock from the Congress was elected the Adhyaksha, Zilla Parishad, South Andaman for the third year term reserved for women with Balbir Kaur of Campbell Bay as Up-Adhyaksha.

In the South Andaman Zilla Parishad Congress has a strength of 10 members and the BJP has five members out of the total 15 members as on date. Abala Sammaddar of the Congress secured eight members support and Farida Bibi of the BJP secured the support of seven members for the post of Adhyaksha. Two Zilla Parishad members of the Congress cross voted for the BJP. Hunt is on for the two undisciplined Congress members, this may not be such a Herculean task. Though other permutation and combinations are there with both sides cross voting but raking ones brain over it would be waste of time as the report card to the high command at Delhi says all's well.

Zilla Parishad has known to be a bout ring for the technocrats and the politicos. There was a time when an Ex-Adhyaksha ruled the roost for three consecutive terms in the last Zilla Parishad with the blessings of a Technocrat and the political bosses were left cooling their heels helpless. The same game could be smelt here but to no avail as the politicians prevailed this time. Congress in the last PRI elections had seven members with the BJP seven members and one independent in the Zilla Parishad. Baring the first year term when power was shared between the Congress and BJP, the second year saw SS Balakrishnan Nair consolidating the Congress position with three new entrants supporting him eventually.

If not for Balakrishnan's astute management skills Farida Bibi could have pipped Abala Sammaddar to the post and the technocrat could have got his suspension revoked. This could have also made matters a lot easier for the PRI's who are finding hard to proceed ahead by the lack of estimate schedules denied to them by the present crop of technocrats who are no less corrupt. The BJP leadership was at the mercy of the suspended technocrat running their losing game.