Mathany disqualified
Sandesh Prabhudesai
9 August 2005
Mathany Saldhana, the sole legislator of the United Goans
Democratic Party, was yesterday disqualified, two days prior
to the monsoon Assembly session.
Speaker Francisco Sardinha has disqualified him for disobeying
the whip issued by the party organization.
Mr Saldhana has now decided to challenge the verdict before
the high court.
He has been disqualified under sections 2 (1) (A) and (B)
of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The sections
primarily provide disqualification if the member acts contrary
to the whip issued by the party organisation.
Defying the whip issued by the party organisation, Mr Saldhana
had voted in favour of the erstwhile BJP-led government, to
unsuccessfully save Manohar Parrikar’s seat on 4 February.
He was then restrained twice by the speaker from voting
at the time of trust vote of the Pratapsing Rane government
on 4 March and the recent Rajya Sabha elections held last
month.
Former chief minister Parrikar has criticized the speaker
for giving a verdict in violation of the provisions of the
Tenth Schedule. According to him, Mr Saldhana, being a sole
legislator, was the whip of his legislator party and had decided
to vote in his favour.
As the political drama continues in Goa, the 40-member Assembly
has been now reduced to 36.
Following disqualification of independent legislator Philip
Neri Rodrigues during the tenure of former BJP government,
the high court had recently disqualified two BJP legislators,
Rajendra Arlekar and Dayanand Mandrekar.
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