MARGAO
Reginaldo preferred to offer no comments when asked whether he is satisfied over the reconstitution of the block. Resentment brewing in the MLA’s camp is evident by the fact that Reginaldo’s close supporters have demanded to know whether the party leadership had applied the same yardstick in other constituencies represented by sitting MLAs.
When asked whether he was satisfied with the party’s decision to nominate some of his supporters on the block, Sardinha said the reconstitution of the block is not bad.
The Goan understands that Reginaldo had submitted his list of names for the committee, but the party leadership deemed it fit to put up names recommended by Sardinha as well as other leaders, sending clear signals the party was in favour of giving representation to all Congress groups in the constituency.
The party leadership, however, is now bracing up to handle the claims for the party ticket, with Reginaldo’s supporters expected to stake claim for the ticket for the two-time sitting MLA, while Sardinha’s supporters are making no bones of the fact that the name of former MP should be recommend for the party ticket.
The Curtorim Congress Block had been lying defunct without a president since mid-2014 ever since the then block president had quit office in protest over the denial of the South Goa Lok Sabha ticket to then sitting MP Francisco Sardinha and the party high command’s decision to give the ticket to Reginaldo Lourenco.
Sources in the know said the Congress leadership had to literally do a tight rope walk in respect of Curtorim block reconstitution with Reginaldo submitting a detailed list of his nominees for induction on the panel. Not to be left behind, Sardinha, Joseph Vaz and others local Congress leaders had also submitted their list of nominees.
As a way out, the Congress leadership has finally awarded the prized post of block president to Reginaldo, while inducting many members on the executive committee from the list submitted by Sardinha and others. Congress sources said that while the re-constituted block will be headed by Reginaldo’s man Terranco Fernandes, vice-presidents inducted on the block are Savio Gomes, Luis Quadros, Rupesh Naik, Bazil Fernandes, Valentino Sequeira and Milagres Fernandes.
The general secretaries include Allan Barboza, Sebastiana D’Souza, Camil Fernandes and Minguelina D’Souza. Sources in the Congress camp told The Goan that while Reginaldo was awarded the plum post of block president as per the communication from the party top leadership given his status as the sitting MLA, his camp wondered whether the local Congress leadership has adopted the same yardstick in constituencies represented by the sitting MLAs.
