MARGAO
As Congress leaders look forward to enter the New Year with renewed vigour by leaving behind the Zilla panchayat poll nightmare and gear up for the 2022 Assembly battle, suspense continues in the Congress over the leadership issue, with party High command yet to take a call on GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar’s resignation till date.
Post-visit of AICC Secretary in-charge of Goa, Dinesh Gundu Rao, local party leaders have been anxiously waiting for the party High Command to not only cap the leadership tangle, but initiate quick steps to put the party organization back on tracks to face the 2022 electoral challenge.
Congress leaders in private admit the party is facing an ardous task of retaining its traditional voter base, more so in Salcete and adjoining areas, with parties, including the Aam Admi Party, Nationalist Congress Party and other groups having set their eyes on the party’s strongholds.
Chodankar’s resignation seemed to become a subject of debate with the party. Sources say the camp comprising of Leader of Opposition and the GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar are of the firm opinion that the party should maintain the status quo and are opposed to any change in leadership at this juncture.
On the other hand, opponents of the Digambar-Girish duo say the party should not waste time in bringing about a change in the party leadership if the party is keen to boldly face the 2022 polls. It is not out of place to mention here that this section of Congress leaders are of the opinion that the party should consider a Catholic face to ensure the minorities do not feel alienated in the scheme of things.
In fact, sources said this group has conveyed in no certain terms that the party should go in for an immediate replacement of the GPCC chief given the host of defeats the party has suffered under his leadership, beginning with the bye-polls, Lok Sabha election and the just concluded Zilla panchayat polls.
Party leaders warn that any delay in addressing the leadership issue may cost the party dearly, with rivals, including those anxious to occupy the opposition space are all working overtime to reach out to the voters in the party’s traditional stronghold. “Last time round when Girish had put in his papers after his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls and the bye-election, the party high command dilly-dallied on taking action for months. This should not take place now since the party has hardly any time to revitalize and strengthen the organization ahead of the 2022 electoral battle”, remarked a senior leader.
The Congress had lost the just-concluded Zilla panchayat polls, badly winning just four seats, three in its traditional stronghold Salcete and one in Tiswadi, giving a handle to the opponents to slam the present leadership and question the party’s failure to win a single seat outside Salcete and Tiswadi.
While the GPCC Chief had put in his papers, owning moral responsibility for the party’s poor showing, leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat had put up a strong face by saying the party has lost a couple of seats by a whisker. Kamat further maintained that the party as a whole should take collective responsibility for the electoral debacle, sending a message to the opponents not to blame the present leadership or a single leader.
