the goan I network
MARGAO
Constituents are looking for answers whether the Congress will concede its bastion Nuvem to the Nationalist Congress Party or whether Radharao Gracias will finally fall in line and support Mickky Pacheco in the constituency on the UGDP banner.
Veteran Congressman and former Power Minister, Aleixo Sequeira, however, appears calm and composed. Ask the four-time former MLA whether he is in the race for the Congress party ticket, and he replies in his inimitable style, “Aleixo Sequeira has never been in any race since he is too fat to run a race.”
The political heavyweight has been virtually keeping low profile since his defeat in the 2012 Assembly election. The Goan, however, understands that Aleixo has been regularly keeping in close touch with the party national leaders. Sources said he had been spotted with All India Congress General Secretary in-charge of Goa desk Digvijaya Singh during the latter’s visit to the state. His decision to air dash to Delhi a couple of months ago to get his suspension from the party revoked did raise many an eyebrow in Nuvem Congress circle. That his name for the Congress candidate got the recommendation of the Nuvem Block Congress and later from the South Goa District Committee had again raised questions whether Aleixo is back in strong contention for the party ticket when the local leadership led by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Luizinho Faleiro had been grooming Nuvem ZP member Wilfred D’Sa as the party’s new and young candidate for the coming election.
“So what if Aleixo is meeting the Congress national leaders. Aleixo is a Congressman. Aleixo will support the Congress party,” was how he reacted to reports that he has repeatedly met Digvijaya Singh during his recent visits to Goa.
That the NCP has staked claim for the Nuvem seat seems to have not disturbed the party veteran either. “All these are questions to be decided by leaders of the Indian National Congress,” he asserted.
But, will Aleixo shy away from shouldering the responsibility of leading the Congress campaign in Nuvem again in 2017 if asked to do so by the party leadership? to this question, the veteran politician, “Let the party leaders ask me this question and I
will apply my mind before taking a call.”
