MARGAO
In an interesting development, Congress-turned-BJP MLA Clafacio Dias on Thursday said he would seek reelection from Cuncolim constituency under the BJP banner, asserting that he would not contest the coming election as an Independent or on any other party symbol.
He told the media that it is up to the BJP leadership to assess the work put in by him in Cuncolim constituency and nominate him for the coming election, saying he would not contest the coming election if the BJP does not nominate him in Cuncolim.
Saying that every party worker has the right stake claim for the party ticket, Clafacio, however, said the party will take into consideration the work done by the ticket aspirants before nominating the candidates.
“The party leadership will conduct a survey before nominating the candidate. I have ushered in development in Cuncolim since I joined the BJP two years ago”, he said, adding that the remaining works will be completed before the polls. He said he would not have been able to take up development work if he had to stay put in the Congress. “People of Cuncolim would have questioned me on the development front. The people are not interested in knowing with which party you are. They want to know the MLA’s performance before casting their vote”, he said.
Exuding confidence that the BJP leadership will give the Cuncolim ticket to him, Clafacio, however, asserted that he would not contest the election as an independent or on any other party banner.
To a question, he said the people of Cuncolim constituency will decide his fate, adding that social media cannot decide the victory or defeat of any candidate. “I had quit the Congress after a meeting with my supporters. The BJP also knows that I am a grass root worker, having come up in politics right from the panchayat level. “Though the BJP has no mass base in the panchayat areas, I am confident that people from the villages will vote for me in the coming election”, he added.
