the goan I network
MARGAO
With the 10-day deadline going abegging last week, the Congress leadership in Delhi has finally set in motion the process to choose a successor for incumbent Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Shantaram Naik who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Thursday.
As local party leaders made their presence felt at his residence near the Mutt-Gogol, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Goa desk, Dr Chella Kumar told The Goan that the Congress leadership has set in motion the process to appoint a new Congress president for Goa to succeed Shantaram Naik. “I have moved the file to the Congress President Rahul Gandhi to choose the successor for Shantaram Naik. The process is underway and will be capped soon,” he said.
When asked whether the Goa State Congress will have a new president before the end of the week, Dr Chella Kumar said that he is presently out of Delhi, indicating that the appointment of new leader may be clear in the near future.
On the other hand, a host of party leaders, including Leader of the Opposition, Babu Kavlekar and strong contenders for the GPCC post including former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar and other party leaders called on Shantaram Naik to wish him on his birthday. Senior party office bearers and party MLAs also visited his residence to extend their greetings.
While putting in his papers, Shantaram had requested the party leadership in Delhi to consider his resignation only after his birthday on April 12, which has triggered speculations that the new party president may be announced by the party high command within the next few days.
While Digambar Kamat and Girish Chodankar have emerged as the strong contenders, the AICC general secretary is expected to place before the party president the names of all the aspirants for the coveted post, including MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, former MP Francisco Sardinha, Sankalp Amonkar, Atish Naik and others.
It’s still unclear whether Congress President Rahul Gandhi will settle for the new president based on the names recommended by the AICC Secretary or will call State leaders for discussions before taking a final call, more so because a section of the party MLAs have voiced their opposition to the candidature of AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar.
