the goan I network
MARGAO
Days after the Congress leadership said no to Valanka Alemao’s bid for the South Goa Lok Sabha ticket, Benaulim Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Churchill Alemao was on Thursday found blowing hot and cold over his stand on supporting the Congress candidate in the ensuing election.
While Churchill remarked that Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha is his friend, he, however, made it abundantly clear that he cannot support the Congress unless the Congress and the NCP enters into an electoral alliance in the state.
The NCP MLA took the opportunity to remind how the Congress had spurned all offers from the NCP to enter into a tie-up with the party during the 2017 Assembly election. He also recalled how the then AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh had descended in Varca during the previous assembly poll to bring Alemao’s opponents under one banner in order to defeat him in the election.
“For the moment, I do not know whether I should ask the people to support the Congress or any other party or decide on the candidate of their choice. Congress candidate Sardinha is my friend, but I cannot openly support him unless there’s a tie-up between the Congress and NCP in the ensuing election,” he said, while saying that he will call on NCP state unit Chief Jose Philip D’Souza to guide him how to go about the ensuing election.
The Benaulim MLA indicated that he is not happy with the way he was treated by the Congress and the party leaders during the previous assembly polls. “I had extended issue based support to the BJP-led coalition government, but when my party leadership told to withdraw my letter, I withdrew my support,” he said, adding that he has now extended his support to the Congress based on instructions from his party leadership.
“Whether there’s an alliance between the Congress and NCP or not, I have to ask NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar how to go about. Let the party take a decision,”
Churchill said.
Churchill’s daughter Valanka had staked claim for the Congress ticket for the South Goa seat, but her claim did not find favour with the Congress leadership. While Valanka had reacted saying that she would support the Congress in the ensuing election, Churchill will be in the cynosure of all political eyes as the political players will go all out to garner his support for their candidature.
REFERING TO THE PAST
The NCP MLA Churchill Alemao took the opportunity to remind how the Congress had spurned all offers from the NCP to enter into a tie-up with the party during the 2017 Assembly election
Alemao also recalled how the then AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh had descended in Varca during the previous assembly poll to bring Alemao’s opponents under one banner in order to defeat him in the election
Churchill’s daughter Valanka had had staked claim for the Congress ticket for the South Goa seat, but her claim did not find favour with the Congress leadership
The Benaulim MLA said that he will call on NCP state unit Chief Jose Philip D’Souza to guide him how to go about the ensuing election
