MARGAO
Will the Congress party concede its space in its traditional stronghold Salcete with like-minded and secular parties -- Nationalist Congress party (NCP) and the Goa Forward party (GFP) -- firmly eyeing the party’s territory for a slice of the cake?
With as many as eight Assembly seats at stake in Salcete, both the NCP and GFP have indeed set their eyes firmly on two seats each, which will leave the Congress party to contend with the remaining four seats in what has traditionally been considered the party’s bastion. But at this stage neither alliance talks between the Congress and the NCP or the GFP have got underway nor has the Congress so far sent positive signals to parties offering alliance in the coming poll. But that has not stopped both the NCP and the Goa Forward Party to strengthen their base in certain seats and position themselves for some hard bargaining.
Take the case of the Nationalist Congress Party. As of now, the party has decided to stake claim for the two seats of Benaulim and Nuvem. With former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao, who is already in the party fold, expected to be NCP’s candidate for the Benaulim seat, the party is expected to field Vincent Rodrigues for the Nuvem seat. Vincent will embrace the NCP later this week.
On the other hand, the Goa Forward Party too has been maneuvering its way in Salcete ahead of the Assembly poll. While party mentor and MLA Vijai Sardesai will seek re-election from Fatorda, the party is also strongly eyeing the Velim Assembly seat. This was amply evident when the party made its presence felt in Velim, by first taking out the maad yatra and returned back to protest against the nationalization of Goan rivers on the banks of river Sal.
With the NCP bracing up to stake claim for Benualim and Nuvem and the Goa Forward Party for Fatorda and Velim, the Congress will be left with only four seats to contest in its traditional bastion Salcete, assuming the party concedes these seats to the two parties.
Incidentally, the four seats that would be left with the Congress party are Navelim, Cuncolim, Margao and Curtorim. Margao and Curtorim are the only two seats the party managed to retain in the 2012 Assembly election.
Says GFP mentor, Vijai Sardesai: “The GFP is strong in Fatorda and Velim Assembly seats and will not compromise in the event the alliance of like-minded and secular parties becomes a reality. We will also stake claim for Navelim as we plan to hold a meeting in the constituency in the first week of November.”
On the other hand, NCP Goa unit Chief Jose Philip D’Souza made it clear that the NCP will stake claim for Benaulim as well Nuvem and Navelim. “Churchill is our candidate in Benaulim and Vincent Rodrigues, who will join the party in a day or two, in Nuvem. Besides, we have our candidate George Barretto in Navelim. We are strong in these constituencies in Salcete. We will stake claim for a total of seven seats and will have no alliance with the Congress if these seats are not conceded to us,” Jose Philip asserted.
Will Congress party compromise on its seats and candidates?
How would the Congress grapple with the claims by the NCP and GFP with the party having already shortlisted candidates in seats eyed upon by these two parties?
Be it Velim, Benaulim, Nuvem, Fatorda or Navelim, the Congress seems to have no dearth of candidates willing to throw their hat in the ring in these constituencies. In fact, the party’s block and district panels have already recommended a host of local leaders as probable candidates during the party’s month-long exercise for consideration of the party high command.
Questions are being raised in Congress circles how the party leadership will deal with a situation if the party decides to align either with the NCP or the GFP in Salcete taluka. In fact, many an eyebrow has been raised in the constituencies of Fatorda, Benaulim, Velim, Navelim and Nuvem over the very mention of alliance. In fact, the Fatorda Block Congress panel has been on record stating that they will have no option but to quit if the party shakes hands with Vijai Sardesai.
In Benaulim, strong ticket contenders, block president Edwin Barretto and former Varca Sarpanch Anthony Pinto, have questioned the party to shed light on alliance after former PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao, joined the NCP.
In neighbouring Velim, former minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues is virtually on a comeback trial, but with the GFP party repeatedly making its presence felt in the constituency, questions are raised in local political circles whether the party leadership will surrender the seat to the nascent regional party.
congress 2017 probable list
Velim: Filipe Neri Rodrigues; Nuvem: Aleixo Sequeira, Wilfred D’Sa; Benaulim: Edwin Barretto, Anthony Pinto; Fatorda: Joseph Silva, Ethel Lobo, Camilo Barretto, Piedade Norohna; Navelim: Luizinho Faleiro
