MARGAO
Congress party’s mantra before the electorate in the ensuing December 12 polls is simple “ preserve the environment of Goa and the state’s rich tradition of communal amity and brotherhood.
With less than a week to go for the polling, senior Congress leaders went into a huddle with party candidates for the South Goa Zilla Panchayat seats on Sunday to devise strategies and to review their poll preparedness.
That GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, besides district Congress Chief Joe Dias attended the interaction with the party candidates from South Goa indicates that the opposition party appears leaving nothing to chance.
After the meeting, the contesting candidates issued a joint statement underlining the need to preserve the communal harmony and environment of Goa, while making an appeal to the people to come out in large numbers to vote for Congress and defeat the divisive politics of BJP.
That the Congress expressed their commitment to be the voice of the people to protect the identity of Goa indicated that the party is hoping to cash in on the people’s sentiments against the ruling party on a host of issues, including Mhadei, the linear projects, coal hub, etc
ZP Candidates Joseph Piedade Vaz (Raia), Assuciana Romana Subrinho e Rodrigues (Nuvem), Suzie Fernandes (Colva), Julio Fernandes (Velim), Royla Fernandes (Benaulim), Murtuza Kuknoor (Davorlim), Sonia Fernandes (Guirdolim), Michelle Rebello (Curtorim), Shyam Bhandari ( Sanvordem), Abhijit Dessai (Rivona), Harshad Gauns Dessai (Sheldem), Rajesh Velip ( Khola), Reshma Velip (Paiguinim), Lupino Xavier (Cortalim), Prachi Naik ( Curti) were present for the meeting.
GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar said the Congress is confident of winning the ZP polls, asserting that the candidates of the party have focussed on door-to-door campaigning and had received overwhelming support in their constituencies.
Saying there’s a positive wave in favour of the Congress in the state, opposition leader Digambar Kamat has said the people of Goa have seen the misrule of BJP and want to teach them a lesson.
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha expressed confidence that Congress will win comfortably as there is anger against the BJP and its faulty policies.
South Goa District Congress President Joseph Dias said that the party has made full preparations and has put in place an effective mechanism to encourage large turnout on voting day, adding that the party’s booth level workers are fully geared up for the polls.
