PANAJI
Ashok Naik, who was in talks with the party for a few weeks initiated a fresh round of discussion on Friday evening after senior High Court counsel Surendra Desai declined the party's offer to contest against Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Both Roy Naik and Ashok Naik visited Congress House on Saturday evening along with a small group of supporters to meet Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Shantaram Naik.
Briefing media after the meeting, GPCC president Shantaram Naik said, "I had a discussion with those people. We will decide about the tickets in a day or two. By Monday, our decision will be made."
The GPCC president stated that the party is considering some three to four names for each of these two constituencies.
"Ashok Naik along with his supporters met me and expressed his wish to join the party. He has expressed his wish to contest. Roy Naik and Sandesh Nagvekar also came to visit me," Naik confirmed.
He informed that once the decision is made, he will send a proposal to the party high command through All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Goa desk Dr A Chellakumar for approval.
Speaking to The Goan, Ashok Naik stated, "I have to discuss the matter with my people and karyakartas in Panaji. I have sought time till Monday."
When asked about the support of Goa Suraksha Manch for the candidature of Ashok Naik in Panaji, Shantaram said, "We will seek support from any force or political party which believes in Congress ideology."
The Congress president expressed confidence that his candidates are set to upset the ruling BJP in both the constituencies.
"You just see in both places we have such candidates that the BJP is worried. In fact, with respect to one candidate, the BJP is directly and indirectly threatening the candidate. You can imagine the nervousness which has cropped in the mind of BJP. I am not exaggerating," Shantaram concluded.
Meanwhile, GSM's Kiran Nayak, Mahesh Mhambrey and Hrudaynath Shirodkar, who accompanied Ashok Naik to Congress House, insisted that their visit was to request Congress to refrain from fielding a candidate. "We requested Congress not to field a candidate as it would split votes. We are confident of winning Panaji this time," Kiran Nayak stated.
