MARGAO
Even as Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues has kept his supporters and well-wishers guessing how he would go about in the ensuing polls, the Congress camp has still not zeroed in the party candidate for the Velim seat.
As many as four candidates have emerged as contenders for the Velim Congress ticket, including Congress district chief Joe Dias, Velim Sarpanch Savio D’Silva and former Independent MLA Benjamin D’Silva. Social activist Sabita Mascarenhas has also staked her claim for the ticket.
Velim has been the bastion of the Congress party over the years. In every Lok Sabha polls, the Congress looks forward to Velim to give an unassailable lead over the rivals to keep the party in good stead in the final tally. Incumbent MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues had thrice won the seat on the Congress banner in his political career spanning over two decades.
With four aspirants in the race for the Congress ticket, the leadership appears treading a cautious path, wary that any miscalculation does not cost the party the seat in its bastion.
