GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
After talks on permutations and combinations, will September 30 finally clear doubts and an air of political uncertainty and give the people an insight and a fair idea of political alignments or realignments expected to take shape in the State ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections?
Indeed, call it a sheer co-incidence or otherwise, September 30 will mark the D-day in the political scheme of things of major political parties and individuals players.
In fact, September 30 has come in handy for political players and parties to either set deadlines or to chart out a new political course ahead of the 2017 Assembly election due within six months.
Political parties, a social and cultural organization, besides a political heavyweight have set September 30 as deadline “ either for completion of intra-party work as in the case of the Congress party or a deadline to like-minded parties or rivals to take a call.
If the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has set September 30 as the deadline for the MGP leadership to take a call on their alliance offer, former PWD Minister and heavyweight Churchill Alemao has set deadline for the Congress to act on his offer by September 30 to return to the party fold and contest the coming election on the party banner.
The Congress party and president Luizinho Faleiro has repeatedly asserted that the question of forging an alliance with like-mined and secular parties will be decided only after September 30 “ the self-imposed deadline when the party’s organizational process to shortlist candidates for all the 40 Assembly constituencies is expected to be complete.
As far as the nascent Goa Forward Party is concerned, the party is expecting the Election Commission of India to positively convey its decision on the party symbol by September 30 “ which will then mark the commencement of the party’s election campaign, beginning from October 2.
Says GFP mentor, MLA Vijai Sardesai: “We would be formally applying to the Election Commission of India on September 19 with our choice of party symbol. We expect to hear from the EC exactly ten days later on September 30, which will help the party to kick-start its election campaign from October 2”, Sardesai said.
GPCC President Luizinho Faleiro has reiterated that issues centered on gathbhandhans or mahagathabhandhans will be decided after September 30. “Our process of shortlisting candidates from the block, district and state level is presently underway. The same is expected to be completed by September 30 after which the party will decide on the issue of alliances”, he added.
Says former PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao: “I have already set September 30 as the deadline for the Congress to act on my offer to contest the 2017 polls on the party banner. I will wait for the Congress till September 30 to decide on my offer after which I will be free to take my own decision”, he added.
