MARGAO
Can the Congress party win the Nuvem Zilla Panchayat seat and prove a point or two to Congress-turned-BJP MLA Wilfred D’Sa that the people of Nuvem are still with the Congress though he has switched sides to the BJP?
The BJP is not in the fray for the Nuvem ZP seat. However, party MLA Wilfred D’Sa has strongly rallied behind Independent candidate Dr Breezy Barretto to keep the Congress at bay. That the Congress-turned-BJP MLA has publicly identified himself with the Independent candidate indicates that he is going all out to maintain his hold over the constituency.
Take note, Independent candidate Dr Breezy enjoys the backing and support of the Panchayats controlled by the Nuvem MLA. So much so that all the panchayat members along with the MLA had moved door-to-door in support of Breezy’s candidature during the campaign when the elections were scheduled on March 22.
D’Sa does not want to make it a secret that he and the panchayat bodies-aligned to him are all working for the success of the Independent candidate. “It is a fact that I have extended my support to Independent candidate Breezy. The panchayat members aligned to my group have all worked on the ground for her success,” he said, while exuding confidence of winning the seat.
The Congress, on the other hand, has tried to put up a united front in support of Party candidate Assuciana Roman Rodrigues. During the campaign in March, most of the local leaders, including Aleixo Sequeira, Tony D’Costa, Pausilipo Dourado, Everson Vales and others had all worked for the success of the party candidate. It is not out of place to mention here that former MLA, Mickky Pacheco, too had lent his support to Assuciana’s candidature, in a bid to checkmate the Congress-turned-BJP MLA in the elections.
That Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar descended in Nuvem on Monday evening for an interaction with party booth committee workers along with Aleixo Sequeira indicates the seriousness amongst the Congress bigwigs to ensure the Congress wins the Nuvem seat.
“The Nuvem MLA may not be with the party after he switched sides to join the BJP. But, the people of Nuvem, are firmly with the Congress party. I am confident that people of Nuvem constituency will come out in large numbers and cast their vote in favour of the Congress candidate,” Girish said.
The GPCC president appeared sore over the government using its machinery to stop the opposition from putting their booth machinery in place. “Yesterday evening, we had arranged a meeting with our booth committee members at Nuvem, but the flying squad stopped our meeting. The writing on the wall is clear for the government and hence is misusing the official machinery against the opposition,” he charged.
While the Congress is projecting a united front in Nuvem, temporarily leaving behind its differences, the party is hoping against hope that the ongoing agitations against the government be it on coal transportation, track-doubling and the Save Mollem campaign will turn the tide in its favour in the constituency.
The Nuvem MLA, however, has begged to differ and has reposed his faith in the people. “The Congress may try to capitalise on these issues, but I am confident that people of Nuvem constituency will rally behind Dr Breezy and support the development ushered by me in the constituency,” D’Sa said.
