MARGAO
Battlefield Benaulim “ the high-profile constituency, almost covering major part of Salcete’s coastal belt, is warming up ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.
Days after Congress Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao announced that the Congress will forge alliances with like-minded political parties to take on the ruling BJP in the ensuing polls, Congress election observer and senior party leader, P Chidambaram and top party leaders are all set to descend on the fertile political plains of Benaulim during the weekend.
State Congress leaders have taken a stand that Chidambaram’s visit to Benaulim is an exercise as part of the plan to strengthen the 40 blocks across the state, but the Congress camp, including new entrant to the party, flamboyant former Minister Mickky Pacheco, looks beyond the exercise of strengthening Benaulim, exuding confidence the party is just a step away from contesting the ensuing polls.
That may throw up a question or two in political circles, both within the Congress and outside, whether Chidambaram’s visit to Benaulim, a constituency represented by the Sharad Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is a signal to the party rank and file that the party will have no truck with the NCP in the ensuing polls or his presence is only an attempt to strengthen the party as part of the ongoing all block building exercise.
This question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of media reports quoting Congress Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao that the Congress is not averse in forging alliances with like-minded parties.
As expected, the visit of Chidambaram and party leaders, including Dinesh Gundu Rao to Benaulim is being interpreted by the Mickky Pacheco camp, as an indication that the Congress will be very much in the fray in 2022.
Anxious to make a political comeback after a five-year break, Mickky has set his eyes on his erstwhile constituency, hoping that the Congress will not concede the seat to the NCP, setting the stage for a no holds barred battle.
Take note, Benaulim is presently represented by NCP lone MLA and Mickky’s arch rival, Churchill Alemao. That’s not all. The Aam Aadmi party has emerged as a strong challenger for the NCP MLA over the last four years. AAP, which had finished runners-up in 2017, sending signals to the political forces that the party has come to stay in Salcete’s coastal belt, had sprung up a major surprise to the local political players by wresting the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat seat, leaving the NCP and Congress way behind.
The last time Congress won the Benaulim seat was over two decades ago in 1999 when Churchill Alemao got elected on the party banner. Churchill, however, failed to retain the seat in the 2002 election, when Mickky Pacheco making a political debut on the banner of regional outfit, United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) had stormed the Congress bastion, stopping Churchill’s free run in the constituency. The Congress could not regain the lost ground in 2012 as well as in 2017 when the party’s attempt to wrest the seat had come a cropper.
Strengthening the party now,
alliances at later stage: Girish
MARGAO: Downplaying Congress leaders entry into Benaulim during the weekend, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar has said the Congress will hold its meeting at the Benaulim block during the weekend, but hastened to add that the issue of alliance with like-minded parties, including the NCP, will be decided at a later stage by the party leadership after consultations with the local party leaders.
“Our Congress election observer P Chidambaram and other leaders will be going to Benaulim as part of the party’s all Goa exercise of strengthening the blocks ahead of the ensuing Assembly election. The issue of alliances does not come here. We are the principal opposition party and the party has taken a call to strengthen the blocks in all the 40 constituencies”, he said, when asked whether the party block building exercise implies that the party would contest the polls from Benaulim, a constituency represented by the NCP.
He added: “The question of alliances will be decided by the party leadership based on the feedback and opinion of the local leaders and workers. We are now on the job of strengthening the party in all the constituencies.
For Churchill, no problem
if Cong doesn’t want ties
MARGAO: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) lone MLA Churchill Alemao was not in town to comment on Congress’ planned meeting at Benaulim during the weekend.
He, however, has been on record saying that he has no problem if Congress does not enter into an alliance with the NCP. Churchill had been categorical in saying the NCP would go ahead and field candidates across the state if the Congress does enter into an alliance with the NCP.
“I have no problem if the Congress does not want an alliance with the NCP. The NCP leaders had assured that they will discuss the alliance with the Congress at the national level. If the talks fail, I have no problem and we will go ahead and field candidates in all the constituencies”, Churchill said recently.
