Sardinha in his political career has won 10 elections, six Assembly and four LS polls and has held top positions of CM, LoP, Speaker
MARGAO
Curtains seemed to have finally come down on South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha’s long political innings, spanning over four decades and half, during which time the tall and affable heavyweight politician from Salcete held a host of positions including the post of Chief Minister in 2000.
A teacher by profession, Sardinha started his career when he was elected to the Curtorim panchayat in the early 70s. He first entered the Goa Legislative Assembly in the year 1977 and there’s been no looking back since then as he emerged as a power centre in Salcete politics.
In fact, Sardinha has made it to the Goa Legislative Assembly on as many as six occasions in his political career, and have held the posts of Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He has lost only two Assembly elections in 1994 in his career when he was defeated by a thin margin by the UGDP candidate Anton Gaonkar and then by incumbent Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco on the Save Goa Front.
Sardinha entered the Parliament for the first time in the mid-90s by defeating then sitting UGDP MP Churchill Alemao and the BJP. In fact, Sardinha holds an unbeaten record having won all the four Lok Sabha elections he had contested in the last three decades.
Though he could not make it to the Union Council of Ministers, Sardinha had been a prominent member on the Parliamentary panels, including the crucial estimates committee of Parliament.
The Congress had snatched the South Goa ticket from him in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and the party lost the election badly at the hands of the BJP. The Congress, however, wrested the seat from the BJP in the last election held in 2019 after the party fielded Sardinha again.
In the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, Sardinha had declared that the May 7 election will be his last election in his political journey spanning over four decades and half.
When asked whether his political innings have finally ended after playing for the last 45 years, Sardinha quipped, “I had announced my decision to retire from politics after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But, the Congress party did not consider my request for the ticket to contest the election for the last time in my career.”
He added: “I have no regrets since I have won as many as 10 elections in my political career – six Assembly elections and four Lok Sabha polls. I have held all political positions during my journey, including the post of Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition, Speaker et al.”
