Observers feel Cong leader faces difficult task of leading party in north-eastern states
MARGAO
Appointment of Congress Working Congress (CWC) member Girish Chodankar as the in-charge of the four north-eastern states of Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland may have given him a big responsibility and has catapulted the ex-Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief in the party's scheme of things.
No sooner the news of his appointment did the rounds in political circles, questions did the rounds about whether Chodankar’s appointment as the in-charge will rule him out as the Congress candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat.
For, political observers wondered how Chodankar would devote his time to strengthen the party in the four north-eastern states to gear up the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and at the same time, push his campaign for the South Goa seat.
The observers pointed out that gearing up the party in the four states isn’t going to be an easy job for Chodankar, more so when the BJP has been going from strength to strength in recent years.
“We do not know whether Chodankar was kept in the loop by the Congress High Command before appointing him as the in-charge of the four north-eastern states and whether any assurance has been given to him on his nomination for the South Goa seat," the observer said.
"By plain reading of the Congress communiqué issued by AICC general secretary K V Venugopal, the message seemed clear for Chodankar that the party wants him to spend more time in the four north-eastern states than in Goa in the runup to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, unless he has been assured of the South Goa Lok Sabha ticket,” the observer added.
It is to be noted that Chodankar had proceeded on a long leave from his educational institution in order to cover much ground as possible in South Goa before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In fact, he had already started an interactive exercise by calling on people from the South Goa constituency ahead of the Lok Sabha battle.
When contacted, the ex-GPCC chief said it is indeed a big responsibility entrusted to him by the party leadership by appointing him as the in-charge of the four north-eastern states.
When pointed out that his appointment as the in-charge may come in the way of his plans to contest the Lok Sabha polls from South Goa since he would be preoccupied in the north-east in the coming months, Chodankar only said, “I am a loyal soldier of the party. I have never shied away from shouldering the responsibilities entrusted by the Congress leadership during my long association with the party.”
Incidentally, Chodankar is the second Congress leader from Goa after former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of the north-eastern states.
