MARGAO
Congress-turned-BJP MLA Clafacio Dias has never said he would not seek re-election from Cuncolim in 2022 on the Lotus symbol.
But, the opening of an office in the Cuncolim Municipal area by social worker and BJP leader Sudesh Bhise, a strong aspirant for the party ticket for the Cuncolim seat, has set tongues wagging in political circles, both within the BJP and outside on Wednesday.
Against the backdrop of recent utterances by Clafacio that he would prefer to resign as MLA and stand by the anti-track doubling protesters, the opening of office by a strong BJP ticket aspirant has thrown up a question or two “ whether Clafacio will seek re-election from Cuncolim on the Lotus symbol and whether the party is trying to project an alternative in the event the MLA prefers to quit and contest on any other banner.
Bhise’s office, which will facilitate locals to pay power bills and also get work done in government departments, was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar in the presence of MLA Clafacio Dias and BJP workers and supporters form the constituency.
Amidst speculation over the exact reason behind the office opening by Bhise when the MLA has his own office in the Cuncolim municipal area, Deputy CM Kavlekar wriggled out of any controversy by patting Bhise on his back for his social work, while at the same time reminding all and sundry that Clafacio was not only doing good work in Cuncolim, but has come up in politics the hard way “ right from the panchayat and ZP level before becoming an MLA.
Clafacio, in his address, did make a mention of what’s going on in the minds of the BJP workers in particular and Cuncolim constituency in general over Bhise’s office opening. “When I was invited by Bhise for his office inauguration, some persons questioned me why am I going there. I am very clear I have no jealousy. It is Bhise’s wish to open his office for social work. He may even become an MLA if that is written in his destiny. I had become an MLA as per my destiny,” he told the gathering.
Complimenting Bhise for his social work in Cuncolim constituency, Clafacio said the BJP leader has a quality to make a political career, while reminding that he had come up the hard way in politics, right from becoming a Sarpanch to a Zilla Panchayat member before becoming an MLA.
In his address, Bhise thanked Clafacio for his remark anyone is free to join politics and contest elections. “Just now, Clafacio remarked that anyone who has a wish to contest an election has a right to do so. This only goes to show he has no bad thoughts. He has not felt bad when someone wants to come up in life through social work,” Bhise added.
Clafacio was one of the 10 Congress MLAs, who had quit the party to embrace the BJP a year and a half ago.
The Cuncolim MLA has been in the news recently when he fully supported the anti-track doubling protests in his constituency at Chandor, even offering to quit as MLA over the issue. Bhise’s office opening in Cuncolim for social work assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the MLAs joining the ongoing anti-track doubling stir did not go down well with the top BJP leadership.
