the goan I network
PANAJI
Sidelining front runner for the Madrem Congress ticket former Union Law Minister Adv Ramakant Khalap, the Congress on Tuesday declared Babi Bagkar as its candidate for the Mandrem by-poll election.
A statement issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Mukul Wasnaik said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had approved Bagkar’s name to contest the elections from Mandrem. Bagkar will contest against former Congress MLA Dayanand Sopte, who gave up his seat late 2018 to join the BJP fold.
Just on last Friday evening, team Babi Bagkar and team Sachin Parab, younger rivals of Khalap for the Mandrem ticket had created a scene outside the Congress headquarters upon learning that the party may decide to give the ticket to Khalap. When asked if this had had any impact on the Congress’ decision not to give the ticket to Khalap, Congress chief spokesperson told “The Goan” that there was no question of anything or anyone influencing the party’s decision, as the candidate for Mandrem had never been officially announced.
“Babi Bagkar is also a Congressman. When the party has given him the ticket and he is a loyal Congressman, it is the duty of every Congressman to work hard to get him elected,” said Kawthankar.
Khalap’s name had also been put forward for the North Goa Lok Sabha seat, but the party eventually decided to give the ticket to Congress Goa chief Girish Chodankar.
The Congress had last week named Sudhir Kandolkar and Mahadev Naik as their candidates for the Mapusa and Shiroda by-polls respectively. Kandolkar will fight it out against the BJP’s Joshua D’Souza, son of former MLA Francis D’Souza, and Naik will contest against former Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar who left along with Sopte to join the BJP.
