BENAULIM
***
***
With a host of political heavyweights around, Benaulim had always hogged the limelight as
Salcete’s high-profile constituency over the years. Political bigwigs like former sports
minister Monte Cruz, former PWD minister Churchill Alemao and former tourism minister Mickky
Pacheco, to name a few, represented the constituency in the Legislative Assembly over the last
three decades and half.
Political line-up
The 2017 Assembly poll isn’t going to be anything different. The line-up for the Benaulim seat
seems to be emerging like this: former PWD minister Churchill Alemao has firmly set his eyes on
Benaulim in a bid to make a comeback after a gap of 15 years. Goa Vikas Party supremo Mickky
Pacheo will not be in the fray in 2017, but a candidate backed by Goa Vikas Party will be in
contention for the seat. Incumbent MLA Caitu Silva has already unveiled plans to sever ties with
Goa Vikas party and seek re-election as an independent. That’s not all, as new political
players and parties are bracing up to test the political waters in Benaulim. Churchill’s friend turned
foe and three-time zilla panchayat member, Maria Rebello, has kicked off her campaign in the
constituency, while Aam Aadmi Party is all set to make an electoral debut in Benaulim in the
coming election.
Except the Aam Aadmi Party, which has declared former Benaulim sarpanch Royla Fernandes as
their party candidate, the picture is still unclear as to who will contest on which party banner. Take the case of former PWD minister Churchill Alemao who had represented Benaulim for three terms.
His offer to rejoin the Congress has been cold shouldered by the Congress leadership, but
Churchill is yet to make up his mind whether to contest the coming election as an independent or
on a party banner.
Incidentally, Churchill will be contesting from Benaulim after a gap of a decade and half after his
long political innings was cut short by Mickky Pacheco in 2002. The 2017 election will also
assume significance for the Alemao family, especially against the backdrop of Churchill’s
daughter Valanka Alemao’s failure to win the seat in 2012.
Zilla member, Maria Rebello, has already kicked off her election campaign, but she seems to be in no hurry to take a call whether to contest as an independent or on a party banner. Though Mickky
Pacheco is on record saying that GVP will back Maria for the Benaulim seat, the ground
reality remains unchanged.
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi party, which had launched its election campaign from Benaulim
couple of months ago, has finally settled for Royla after months of scouting for a formidable
candidate capable of upsetting the apple cart of the strong contenders. Initial attempts made by
the AAP leadership to woo Maria Rebello have finally come a cropper.
The Congress party is also passing through a similar phase. Party workers appeared a confused
lot whether the Congress leadership will field Churchill as the party candidate or will settle for
Benaulim block Congress president, Edwin Barretto. The race for the Benaulim Congress ticket
has acquired a new dimension after former Varca sarpanch Anthony Pinto renewed his party
membership and staked claim for the party ticket.
Incidentally, the 2017 Assembly election will be a testing time for all the major parties and
individual players. Once a Congress stronghold, the Congress party had last won the Benaulim
seat around 17 years ago in 1999. Similarly, Churchill Alemao will be testing the political waters in
Benaulim after a gap of 15 years.
Benaulim constituency comprises the coastal villages of Benaulim, Colva, Cavelossim,
Carmona, Orlim, Varca and Seraulim. The constituency has a strong presence of the fishermen
community spread along the coast, with pockets of influence in the villages of Benaulim and
Colva.
Caitu factor
Will his support to the BJP-led government suffocate him in the coming election? Or will the
development ushered in the constituency during the last four years and half keep him in good
stead in 2017? These are the questions doing the rounds in Benaulim constituency as incumbent MLA Caitu Silva is all bracing up to seek re-election.
Riding on a strong anti-Congress wave, Caitu had romped home with a comfortable victory over
Congress’ Valanka Alemao in the 2012 election. Much water, however, flown down the river Sal in
the last four years and half and the MLA is indeed facing testing times in his short stint in politics.
His opponents loose no opportunity to paint him as a BJP man for his close association with the
BJP government. In a constituency, which is pre-dominantly Catholic, the opposition propaganda
is being perceived as a tool to beat the first-time legislator and paint him saffron in the eyes of the
electorate.
Caitu, however, remains unfazed. He is bracing up to go back to the people on the plank of
development. He looses no opportunity to question his predecessors, Churchill Alemao and
Mickky Pacheco, as to what had prevented them from bringing infrastructural projects in the
constituency despite enjoying ministerial berths in the last 18 years.
Indeed, a host of developmental projects running into crores of rupees have seen light of the day
in Benaulim constituency during the last four years and half. The underground power cabling,
Colva sewerage, underground water pipeline, Colva-Mungul road widening, etc, are some of the
projects that have become a reality in the constituency.
On the other hand, the world famous Colva beach is craving for attention. The Colva circuit plan is
down in the dumps. Infrastructure at the beach square has failed to keep pace with the growing
requirements.
***
MLA SPEAK
Caitu Silva
.
Q. Why has Caitu Silva decided to seek reelection as an independent and not on the Goa
Vikas Party banner?
A. I have decided to resign from GVP and contest as an independent simply because I did not
like the way the party affairs was carried out by the leadership. I was a new MLA, but instead of
guiding me, the party leaders worked against me. I don’t want this to happen again in the future.
As an independent, I need not go by party dictates, but rather work independently in the interest of
the people.
.
Q. You had supported the BJP-led government during the last four years and half. How
would the Catholic voters in Benaulim constituency react in the coming election as your
opponents are accusing you for working hand in hand with the BJP.
A. People of Benaulim constituency know why I had decided to support the BJP-led government.
Benaulim was suffering on the development front, and the only way to get works done was to
support the government. But, let me remind you that I did not blindly support the government. On
certain issues, including MoI and Konkani, I had been vocal in expressing my views taking into
account the interest of my people.
.
Q You have always harped on the development ushered in Benaulim in the last four years.
Comment.
A. I challenge both former PWD minister Churchill Alemao and former tourism minister Mickky
Pacheco to place before the people of Benaulim what they had done during the last 18 years.
During last four years, I have brought the underground power cabling, the Colva sewerage
project, water pipeline from Cavelossim to Benaulim, road widening of the Mungul-Colva road, etc.
People should ask both Churchill and Mickky why these projects did not take shape during their
tenures.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Dissenting voice
Churchill Alemao, aspirant, 2017 polls
.
Q What has made Churchill Alemao to return to Benaulim after a gap 15 years? Questions
are being raised why Churchill is not seeking re-election in Navelim.
A. Let me tell you that I had ushered in a lot of development in Navelim during my stint as MLA
and Minister. But, I was disappointed and hurt that people did not support me in the last election.
However, though I was the MLA of Navelim, I remained in close touch with the people of
Benaulim. My booklet on my works carried out during my tenure as PWD Minister would show the
works sanctioned and executed in Benaulim.
.
Q Why do you think people of Benaulim should not elect Caitu when he claimed to have
taken up so many works in the constituency?
A. I do not want to comment anything on the present MLA. People of Benaulim know better who
has done what and where. But, let me tell you that government is a continuous process and works
sanctioned by me during my tenure are seeing light of the day. Let the people of Benaulim be the
judge. They know me and my political rivals.
.
Q You will be going to the election with a host of cases pending against you “ the Louis
Berger and water tank cases. Moreover, the Congress does not want to give you the ticket because of the pending cases. How do you assess your prospects in the coming election?
A. People of Benaulim knows who Churchill Alemao is. The government might have tried to
implicate me in false cases, but the people of Benaulim are not fools. The people know that water
tanks have reached all the beneficiaries. There’s no scam at all in the water tank case. As far as
the Louis Berger case is concerned, I have not tendered even a single work during my tenure.
These false cases will not affect me in any way in the coming election.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Probable candidates
Royla Fernandes, Aam Admi Party
The Aam Admi Party has firmly sets its eyes on the Benaulim seat. In fact, the party had kicked off its election campaign in the state from Benaulim with a convention. After much discussions and debates, the party has finally settled in favour of former Benaulim Sarpanch Royla Fernandes.
.
Benaulim Block Congress president, Edwin Barretto
He has emerged as the strong contender for the Congress ticket. His name has been recommended by the Block committee for the ticket. A family friend of Congress president Luizinho Faleiro, Edwin is ready to throw his hat in the ring if given the ticket. With AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh reiterating that persons with criminal cases will not get the party ticket to contest the coming election, thus ruling out Churchill’s re-entry into the party, Edwin has emerged as a strong ticket contender.
.
Benaulim ZP Member, Maria Rebello
A close aide of Churchill Alemao, this three-time Zilla panchayat member has broken away from the former PWD Minister to contest the 2017 Assembly election. Maria has been weighing all options open on the question of contesting the election as an independent or on a party banner. There were initial reports that she would contest on the Aam Aadmi party banner, but Maria is keeping her cards close to her chest.
.
Anthony Pinto, former Varca Sarpanch
Brother of Nazario Pinto, Anthony has staked claim for the Congress Benaulim ticket. He has only recently renewed his membership of the Congress party in his bid for the party ticket. Though the Benaulim Block Congress committee did not recommend his name for the ticket, Anthony has formally applied to the South Goa district Congress committee for the ticket.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Winners and Losers in 2012
TOTAL ELECTORS : 28176
Year Winner Party Votes Runner Up Party Votes
1989 Churchill Alemao INC 9196 Pinto Nazario Jose IND 3642
1994 Churchill Alemao UGDP 8587 Monte Cruz INC 4565
1999 Churchill Alemao INC 8625 Radharao Gracias UGDP 3788
2002 Mickky Pacheco UGDP 7752 Churchill Alemao INC 6703
2007 Mickky Pacheco NCP 8092 John Fernandes SGF 7336
2012 Caitu Silva GVP 9695 Valanka Alemao INC 7694
(INC - Indian National Congress, GVP - Goa Vikas Party, NCP - Nationalist Congress Party, SGF - Save Goa Front, UGDP - United Goans Democratic Party, IND - independent)
**************
Candidate Age Party Votes Polled Voting %
Caitu Silva 52 GVP 9695 45.95
Valanka Alemao 32 CONG 7694 36.47
Hubert Gomes 53 IND 1775 8.41
John Fernandes 36 AITC 1277 6.05
Ashley Fernandes 35 IND 289 1.37
P Xavier George 69 IND 245 1.16
Subhash Chodankar 55 IND 122 0.58
***
Outline
Benaulim constituency comprises the coastal villages of Benaulim, Colva, Cavelossim,
Carmona, Orlim, Varca and Seraulim
