A man touted as the first Hindu mayor in Australia was ousted from his job just after 18 weeks on the job. Parramatta’s Labor lord mayor Sameer Pandey lost his job after a bitter internal party dispute which has left Sydney’s second CBD with its third mayor in five months.
By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files
SYDNEY – A man touted as the first Hindu mayor in Australia was ousted from his job just after 18 weeks on the job.
Parramatta’s Labor lord mayor Sameer Pandey lost his job after a bitter internal party dispute which has left Sydney’s second CBD with its third mayor in five months.
Veteran Labor councillor Pierre Esber was elected mayor of the City of Parramatta Council at an extraordinary meeting on Monday night, after Labor councillors resolved at a last-minute caucus meeting to remove mayor Pandey from his post.
The result exposes a major chasm among the local Labor councillors, who were split over nominations for the position on the Labor-majority council. The party’s head office ordered a meeting of councillors, who voted 4-3 to not nominate Pandey for re-election and move that Esber be nominated for mayor.
Labor councillors who were involved in the caucus meeting refused to say why the party did not support Pandey. But Labor councillor Paul Noack, who voted for Pandey in the caucus, said during the council meeting that the mayor’s term had been “cut short”.
Sources with knowledge of the meeting but who were not authorised to speak publicly said councillors Pandey, Noack and Angela Humphries walked out of the meeting after the vote.
Pandey was voted on to the council in 2017 and was elected to the mayoralty in May after Donna Davis – the then-mayor elected to the state seat of Parramatta following the May state election – was pressured to stand down over allegations she could not fully commit to both jobs. She remains a councillor.
In his mayoral minute, Pandey thanked the councillors.
“I’ve been honoured to serve as lord mayor of City of Parramatta since my election as lord mayor,” he said. “I’m proud to have played a part in the ongoing transformation of our city.”
When asked before the vote if he felt betrayed, Pandey admitted he was disappointed.
“But I am grateful for the support of my colleagues and the community.”
Pandey played a key role in the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Parramatta and Harris Park earlier this year.
One senior Parramatta Labor member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely express their views, said the move would “destroy Labor in Parramatta”.
“It would be considered a senseless act with no political outcome that is beneficial for the Labor Party.”
