the goan I network
MARGAO
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday kicked off its election campaign from the Shree Shantadurga Cuncolikarim Temple, with party’s Chief Ministerial face Elvis Gomes lighting the 39 mashaals (torches), which will be taken across the constituencies with a message to the people to vote the AAP to power in the 2017 Assembly election.
Widow of noted freedom fighter, late Shabu Desai, Vishranti lit the mashaal of Elvis Gomes at the temple, which was later carried to Cuncolim in a procession by AAP volunteers, where Gomes later garlanded Shabu’s bust and gave a call to the people of Goa to liberate the State from the BJP and Congress and elect the AAP to power.
Elvis later told the media that lighting of the mashaals and taking the same to all the 40 Assembly constituencies assumes significance as the AAP has recreated the famous Cuncolim yatra of late Shabu Desai in the name of Shree Shantadurga Cuncolikarim before the historic Opinion Poll to retain Goa a separate State within India. “We have recreated late Shabu’s mashaal yatra before we kicked off our election campaign. Cuncolim has a rich history of the freedom movement. I am sure that the mashaal will help us to protect Goa and to strengthen Goemkarponn,”
Elvis said.
A relative of the Father of Opinion Poll, Dr Jack de Sequeira, Jack was present at the mashaal lighting ceremony at the Fatorpa temple. He expressed satisfaction that AAP has remembered the contribution of the Father of Opinion Poll to Goa, especially his values such as anti-corruption and transparency in government.
After the speeches at Cuncolim, AAP volunteers went to their respective constituencies with the mashaals. They will all assemble at the Goa Medical College, Bambolim, on October 17, at 9 am before proceeding in a bike and car rally from GMC via Santa Cruz before laying wreaths and garlanding the memorial of Dr Jack de Sequeira at the Dona Paula circle coinciding with his 27th death anniversary.
