MARGAO
In a development that may cast shadow on the proposed alliance between Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai and Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat to unitedly fight the ensuing elections for the Margao Municipal Council, Fatorda Congress workers have put a strong demand that the party field a panel of candidates in the 11 wards of Fatorda.
The emerging development has come at a time when Opposition leader and the Goa Forward chief had almost reached an understanding that the two parties should join hands to keep the BJP at bay. Sources in the Congress said the issue may reach the doorsteps of Goa desk in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao as the demand of the Fatorda Congress workers to contest the ensuing municipal polls has received the support of a section of the State party leadership.
The Goan understands that a delegation of Congress workers and prospective candidates from Fatorda visited the South Goa district office a day ago and insisted that the party should field candidates from the 11 ward of Fatorda. When the delegation visited the district office, sources in the know informed that Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president was present in the office in connection with some other party matter.
Sources in the Congress said that a section of the party leadership is of the firm opinion that the Fatorda Congress workers should be allowed to contest the civic polls since some of the workers had worked on the ground in the last three years. Barring a ward or two, the Congress workers have told the party leaders that the party has some good and strong candidates in the remaining wards ready to throw their hat in the electoral ring.
A senior party leader informed that the Congress workers should be allowed to contest the ensuing polls as the elections coincide with the ongoing membership drive. “How can we make the people join the Congress during the ongoing membership drive if the message goes out that the party will not give opportunity for the party workers to contest the municipal polls,” questioned a senior party leader.
With the proposal not expected to find favour with Leader of the Opposition, Digambar Kamat, but may receive support from the GPCC chief and other leaders, party leaders in private say the State party leadership may seek the intervention of the Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao for a solution.
Sources informed that the Fatorda Congress workers were scheduled to meet on Tuesday to take a decision on contesting the coming polls with the prospective candidates.
In the 2015 Municipal polls, the Congress workers from Fatorda did not field any official panel after the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat formed an alliance under the banner of Margao Civic Alliance to jointly fight the polls. After the panel swept the polls, winning around 16-17 seats, the post of MMC chairperson and vice-chairperson was shared by the nominees of the two groups.
Post-2017 Assembly polls, however, the alliance came under strain after the Goa Forward chief propped up the BJP government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Months later, the MMC vice-chairperson Doris Texeira, who was Digambar Kamat’s group nominee, was literally forced to quit the post, in view of the changed equations with Sardesai becoming a part and parcel of the BJP government.
In fact, the alliance was, but all over, at the fag-end of the five-year tenure, with Sardesai even accusing the Congress and Kamat-backed councillors for making common cause with the BJP councillors to destabilise the Goa Forward-ruled council.
