MARGAO
High-profile Benaulim constituency was the cynosure of all eyes on Monday.
Even as Banaulikars waited anxiously to know local MLA Churchill Alemao’s political plans as his self-imposed November 29 deadline ended on Monday, the Congress party suddenly got itself resurrected in the coastal constituency when workers met to recommend the names of as many as five contenders for the party ticket to contest the 2022 polls.
That the Congress convened the postponed meeting of the Benaulim block on Monday is a clear indication that it is ready to cross swords against Churchill in the coming polls.
Meanwhile, just before his self-imposed November 29 deadline could expire on Monday, NCP lone MLA Churchill Alemao with daughter Valanka in tow boarded a flight to Kolkata in Bengal.
Take note, Churchill Brothers football team had no engagement with any of the soccer teams in Bengal, the Mecca of football, that might have led the daughter-father duo to head to Kolkata.
The duo, however, were on a different mission -- a political mission to be precise. Just before Churchill boarded the flight, he reportedly got a call from a senior NCP leader not to take any hasty decision, promising to work out a solution to his demand for tickets in the coming polls.
Churchill and Valanka, however, had an appointment with none other than West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Didi on Monday. In fact, Churchill said he along with Valanka not only called on Mamata Didi on Monday, but expressed his satisfaction over the outcome of his talks with the TMC leader, who is trying to test Goa’s political waters in 2022.
Churchill made no bones about his meeting with Didi in Kolkata, but hastened to add that he will announce his political future after returning to Goa. That has only thrown up a question whether the seasoned political campaigner was in any way giving further time to the NCP and Congress leaders to meet his demands.
“No way”, was how Churchill reacted when asked whether he still nurses hopes of the NCP and Congress conceding his demands. “I want to make clear that their time is up. I had given enough time, around eight months for both the NCP and the Congress leaders to consider my demand. They could not decide on my demands. Hence, I have decided to chart out my own political course in the next two days,” he said.
While political observers say that it’s just a matter of time before the daughter-father duo embrace the TMC, Churchill said he would unveil his stand in a day or two after consulting his workers.
