MARGAO
Congress and Goa Forward Party candidates went into a huddle at Hotel La Majestic here on Wednesday evening with party leaders, to draw up a strategy on the day of counting on Thursday.
Some of the candidates, walked into the hotel with their personal luggage indicating that they will spend the night, and are unlikely to go to the counting centres.
Senior leaders of the Congress party, including P Chidambaram, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Shivakumar, GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, Working President Aleixo Sequeira, Ramakant Khalap, Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat and Goa Forward supremo Vijai Sardesai, besides other party leaders including Akbar Mulla, Durgadas Kamat attended the meeting.
While the candidates and party leaders made no secret of the meeting scheduled at the hotel on Wednesday evening, there were a few candidates who said they have come to celebrate the birthday of the party's Curchorem candidate Amit Patkar.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Girish Chodankar said the meeting has been called at Hotel La Majestic not to address the issue of leadership, but to draw up a strategy on counting day.
He rejected a suggestion that the meeting has been called to cap the CLP leadership issue, saying the issue of leadership will be addressed only after the results are out on Thursday.
“The issue of CLP leadership cannot be decided now. We have called for a meeting of candidates to discuss the strategy on counting day. There’s no lobbying by the party. All the Congress candidates are expected to come for the meeting”, Girish added.
Congress leader Michael Lobo said the meeting has been called to take stock of the situation.
He said candidates from North Goa will move to the North after the meeting, while those from South Goa will stay in the hotel.
Asked whether the meeting will discuss the issue on CLP leadership and whether he would stake a claim for the CLP leadership, Michael shot back saying these issues will be discussed by the party leadership.
Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat in his inimitable style told the media that the candidates are all coming to the hotel to celebrate Amit Patkar’s birthday.
“Yesterday, we all celebrated my birthday. Today, Patkar has hosted dinner for all of us as part of his birthday celebration”, Kamat said.
Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai, however, sounded clear in saying the meeting of the Congress-Goa Forward alliance candidates has been called to take stock of the situation ahead of Thursday’s counting.
“The Congress and Goa Forward parties had fought the election jointly. There are issues which will have to be taken into account given that tomorrow (Thursday) is the counting day”, Sardesai added.
Congress candidates to stay put at hotel on counting day
MARGAO:
Late-night reports from the Congress camp indicated that the party candidates and Goa Forward Party will spend the night at Hotel La Majestic and stay put at the hotel on counting day.
Rooms have been booked for both the Congress and Goa Forward candidates at the hotel. While Congress leader Shivakumar was expected to head to Panjim, other senior leaders, including other observers were scheduled to spend the night at Hotel La Majestic.
Sources in the know informed that security was maintained in and outside the hotel as a precautionary measure. A couple of Goa Forward Party workers were also seen outside the hotel late Wednesday evening.
