Marcus Girdharie is convinced that he would win the Marabella South/Vistabella seat on August 14 with a PNM ticket, just as he did in 2016 under a UNC ticket.

On Monday, after filing his nomination papers at the Marabella South Secondary School, Girdharie told reporters that he had done all the necessary work in his first term to prove himself as the candidate of choice.

With his recent change in political affiliation, he also expressed confidence that some of his previous supporters continue to back him. He said he had told them of his switch even before the news became public.

He said constituents had told him, “The UNC never did anything for us. It was you, Marcus. It does not matter which party it is. ”

He said the district was diverse and knew that some people voted for party.

“During my term in office, the serving was across the board. It was not only for UNC people. I served the entire district so people would have seen the value of my work as a councillor and as a representative for them."

Girdharie said he was “extremely excited” that the filing process was over and successfully completed.

Earlier in the day, Girdharie supported other PNM candidates, Nigel Couttier for Mon Repos/Navet, Teresa Lynch for Cocoyea/Tarouba and Robert Parris for Pleasantville at the Village Plaza in Pleasantville.

They gathered there and then walked to the Pleasantville Secondary School for the latter three to file their papers.

[caption id="attachment_1022947" align="alignnone" width="1024"] PNM Local Government candidates on their way with supporters to file nomination papers at the Pleasantville Secondary School on Monday. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]

Former San Fernando mayor Kazim Hosein, the Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Minister, also accompanied the candidates with live tassa music and moko jumbies.

“The process was a bit delayed because some of the candidates were not prepared as we were. We had no hiccups but had to wait our turn, so the process kept us back. Nevertheless, we are here and confident of winning the nine seats in the city of San Fernando,” Hosein later said.

He considered the UNC-turned-PNM candidate humble and expressed confidence about winning.

Hosein is also an ex-council or for Les Efforts East/Cipero, the seat his brother Ryaad Hosein hopes to retain.

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