MARGAO
Just three days to go for the Cuncolim Municipal polls and a host of questions have come to haunt the political bigwigs “ will Congress-turned-BJP MLA Clafacio Dias wrest control over the Cuncolim Municipal Council or will the father-son duo of Joaquim and Yuri Alemao make a comeback in Cuncolim through the ensuing Civic polls?
Unlike elections for other Municipal bodies, politicians and their parties did not go to the electorate with official panel of candidates for the 14-member Cuncolim Civic body. That, however, did not stop the bigwigs including the Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias and his challenger Yuri Alemao from moving around the wards in support of their candidates in the fray.
The ensuing election for the Cuncolim Municipal Council holds importance for both the Cong-turned-BJP MLA and the ruling Party. Reason: It’s now two decades since the BJP had ruled the Cuncolim Civic body when it had formed the Council in the year 2000. Since then, power had eluded the saffron party, with the Congress and independent groups controlling the affairs of the Civic body.
The ensuing polls are important for the Cong-turned-BJP MLA as well. Clafacio had won the 2017 Assembly election by a whisker on the Congress banner, and the reason for the narrow win was attributed to failure to garner major chunk of votes in the Cuncolim Municipal area.
In fact, while Clafacio had to contend with just 1500 votes in the Cuncolim Municipal area, Joaquim Alemao had polled around 4000 votes, indicating the former Minister’s hold over the Municipal area.
The million dollar question that remains unanswered is how will the Cong-turned-BJP MLA turn the tide in his favour in the ensuing polls.
Local observers said that the Cuncolim MLA and the BJP mandal did not unveil their panel of candidates as part of a strategy in view of the presence of more than one party candidate in the fray and to muster the support of independents to form the next Council in the event the ruling party falls short of a majority.
Says MLA Clafacio: “I can say with confidence that the BJP would form the next Council in Cuncolim. I am confident that people of Cuncolimwill vote for the right candidates in the interest of development of the town”.
Arch rival Yuri Alemao has gone about systematically in his bid to control the 14-member Civic body. Yuri has fielded candidates in almost all the 14 municipal wards and has personally descended in the Municipal area in support of his candidates. The Joaquim-Yuri duo has not officially unveiled the panel of candidates, but banners with photographs of the father-Son duo have come up in majority of the wards.
The ensuing Municipal polls hold importance for Yuri as well. Having embraced the Congress along with father Joaquim, with an eye on the party ticket for the 2022 Assembly poll, Yuri has a task cut out for him, to win the Civic poll and stake his claim for the ticket.
Sources, however, say the entry of Joaquim-Yuri has ruffled many a feather in the Congress camp. Against this backdrop, sources say that anti-Alemao forces have joined hands to stop Yuri emerging victorious in the coming election, working in different wards to ensure the defeat of the candidates fielded by the father-son duo.
Says Yuri: “We have extended support to a number of candidates, seeking mandate of the people for development. I am confident that people will choose the right candidates who will work for the development of the town”.
Yuri knows for sure that anti-Alemao forces have joined hands to stop him from making a comeback in Cuncolim. A victory for his candidates will keep him in good stead in his bid for the ticket for the 2022 finale. A defeat, however, may put him in the defensive on his plans in Cuncolim.
