He's our Cupid, he's our man! Ian "Cupid" Gill was undoubtedly the most popular candidate contesting the St George South nomination for the Barbados Labour Party.

by DONNA SEALY

WHAT MANY THOUGHT would be a nail-biting four-way race for the nomination of a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate for St George South, turned out to be a two-man contest in the rural riding.

And when the smoke had cleared at the end of the hour-and-a-half poll, popular deejay, Ian "Cupid" Gill, was the man standing in victory as he shook off the challenge of banker Jefferson Lashley.

Gill polled 204 voter to Lashley's 135.

The other two contestants were pharmaceutical sales manager Reginald Knight, who copped 109 votes, and Pastor Dale Brathwaite who polled only 15.

Gill spoke about the need for all four to come together after a campaign that sitting MP Louis Tull, the man who they were seeking to replace, said had been "sharp, vigorous, rugged and sometimes nasty". He will be leaving active politics when the current parliamentary term ends.

Lashley, Knight and Brathwaite pledged their support, saying they would all work to ensure the seat remained with the BLP. They also said they gained a lot from the experience and thanked everyone for their support.

With the nomination being postponed for about three weeks, there was an excitement and a buzz in the air and branch members were eager to get down
to the task at hand.

More than 650 people turned out for the nomination as the St George Secondary School in Constant took on the atmosphere of a mass meeting at election time, with a food stall, plenty drinks, scores and scores of cars parked far from the venue. There were also dozens of people wearing the party colours of red and yellow.

It also resembled Election Day with at least three route taxis and one church bus bringing people to the polling station, and campaign teams constantly on their cellphones reassuring callers they would be picked up soon.

With the more than 400 eligible voters casting their ballots, they gathered in groups around the main area of the sprawling campus vowing to stay "until the last vote was counted" and a winner declared.

Gill will face the Democratic Labour Party's Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo when the next general election is called.