MARGAO
Congress’ Chetna Yatra rolled into Salcete on Wednesday, but party heavyweights from Salcete, including Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira were conspicuous by their absence at the South Goa district party office.
Perhaps for the first time in recent years, party leaders and workers from Margao constituency too were conspicuous by their absence at the programme.
Block presidents of both Margao and Nuvem constituencies and supporters of the two leaders too were absent at the meeting. Sources said while Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira was pre-occupied with a football event at Seraulim village, Kamat had a prior engagement and was not in town.
While GPCC chief Amit Patkar sought to downplay the absence of the leaders due to their pre-occupation, sources said the two MLAs and the block presidents were not personally informed about the Chetna Yatra at the South Goa district office on Wednesday morning.
The Goan understands that Kamat was called by a party functionary on Wednesday morning, but he is believed to have told the leader that he will not be in town. In fact, it is learnt that the block presidents were not intimated about the programme over the phone, but were sent WhatsApp messages about the same.
Incidentally, only a couple of Congressmen from the constituencies of Fatorda, Navelim, Nuvem and Curtorim turned out for the party’s Chetna Yatra at the South Goa district Congress office.
Around 50 persons were found seated in the district office hall on Wednesday. The turnout would have been even less had it not for the presence of a couple of workers from Velim constituency, who had come to the office since Savio D’Silva was scheduled to take charge as the district president.
Sources said a handful of workers from Navelim, including the block president turned up for the meeting.
Curtorim led by block president Mila Fernandes, ZP member Michele Rebello, ex-ZP Moreno Rebello, Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues, Milagre and others.
A couple of party workers from Fatorda, including Yohesh Nagvekar were seen around.
Benaulim Congress leaders and workers were not present as Royla Fernandes and others had asked for a separate meeting with Amit Patkar and other leaders in the evening.
