CONG MANIFESTO
* The party will unveil its manifesto for the Goa Assembly elections on January 23
* Rahul Gandhi is likely to address a public meeting closer to the polls date of Feb 4
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Digvijaya
ON NCP
The party becomes active only when elections come around. Where were they when Congress was fighting the present government in Goa?
ON CHURCHILL
He cannot be ignored. But we gave Alemaos four seats in 2012. What happened? Churchill contested again during the Lok Sabha polls and lost
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IRKED CONGMEN BURN
EFFIGY OF DIGVIJAYA
Members of Fatorda Block Congress on Tuesday gheraoed All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijaya Singh outside the Congress House and after heated exchanges, burnt his effigy before the party headquarters over the ‘seat adjustment’ with Goa Forward surepmeo Vijai Sardessai.
Members including ticket aspirant and block president Joseph Silva, Ethel Lobo, Piedade Norohna and GPCC spokesperson Avinash Tavares shouted slogans demanding that the Congress declare a party candidate in Fatorda against the block’s archrival Sardessai.
Congress has arrived at a seat adjustment formula with GFP whereby it has agreed not to field candidates against GFP in Fatorda, Siolim, Saligao and Porvorim. However, the two parties will meet at electoral rivals on the turf of Velim.
After the two parties failed to reach a consensus over the seat of Vleim in the last week, sources disclosed that GPCC president Luzinho Faleiro had given a thumbs up to Silva and the Fatorda block to launch a full-fledged campaign and to prepare to go to polls. However, an official word is expected to arrive only by Wednesday from the party high command.
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All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Goa Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday declared that the Congress will not enter into an alliance with any political party and will instead have a strategic seat adjustment in constituencies where the party does not have viable candidates.
Singh announced that the party’s plans for the remaining six constituencies will gain clarity by Wednesday, last date for filing of nominations for the upcoming Assembly polls. Congress has announced 34 candidates so far.
Speaking at Congress House, Singh stated, ‘We are not going into any alliance with any political party. But we will have strategic seat adjustment subject to discussions with Goa Congress leaders. Our strategy is to defeat the BJP. Congress leadership is talking to other candidates where we have no viable candidates.”
Differentiating between the term ‘alliance’ and ‘seat adjustment’, Singh said that while the prior refers to total comfort in every segment with another party, the latter is a setup whereby parties support each other’s candidates in some seats.
The senior Congressman, flanked by Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Raoji Rane, further launched an attack on the Nationalist Congress Party.
It may be recalled that on Sunday, Congress called off the talks with NCP leaders at the eleventh hour and proceeded to announce candidates from Vasco and Benaulim, seats which NCP leaders Churchill Alemao and Jose Philip D’Sousa had hoped to secure through an understanding with its former alliance partner.
“NCP becomes active only when elections come around. Where were they when Congress was fighting the present government in Goa?” Singh questioned.
He added, “Churchill cannot be ignored. But we gave Alemaos four seats in 2012. What happened? Churchill contested again during the Lok Sabha polls and lost.”
Meanwhile, referring to the list of 34 candidates announced by the Congress so far, Singh sought to highlight that over 50 per cent of these are young faces with many new entrants hailing from the Congress organization arms such as Seva Dal, Mahila Congress, District Congress and Youth Congress.
