MARGAO
The line-up of politicians for the eight Assembly seats at stake in politically significant Salcete comprises a whole lot of candidates with varied background, but only a handful of professionals.
Amongst the political parties, debutant Aam Aadmi Party, seems to have left its counterparts way behind by fielding more professionals than any other political outfit. In fact, unlike the rival Congress, AAP has in its line-up a whole lot of professionals, including a retired bureaucrat Elvis Gomes, a doctor Mariano Godinho, an engineer cum real estate developer Cruz Silva, an IT engineer Edwin Vaz, an architect Royla Fernandes, an MBA into real estate business Ranjit Cota Carvalho and an engineer having his own enterprise, Sidharth Karapurkar.
The Congress party holds the distinction of fielding a host of career politicians, who double up as real estate developers and businessmen. State Congress president Luizinho Faleiro tops the Congress list as a career politician cum real estate developer as he is in the fray to make it to the Goa Legislative Assembly for the seventh time in his political career spanning over three decades.
Faleiro is closely followed by former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who is seeking re-election for the record sixth time in his career spanning close to two decades and half. The five-time Margao MLA is into real estate and other businesses. Amongst other Congress candidates, Cuncolim candidate Clafacio Dias is a big time PWD contractor, Edwin Barretto, a hotelier, while three-time MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues and two-time Curtoirm MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, are believed to be into real estate business.
The BJP line-up of candidates, includes A class contractor, Arthur D’Silva (Curtorim), Sharmad Raiturkar (Cinematographer) and Fatorda nominee Damu Naik (businessman).
Take the case of the Cuncolim seat. Amongst the major contenders, AAP nominee Chief Ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes is a retired bureaucrat, Goa Vikas Party nominee John Monteiro a lawyer, Clafacio Dias (Congress), an A Class PWD Contractor, Joaquim Alemao (Ind), a mining raising contractor, BJP sitting MLA Rajan Naik, a transport contractor, Shiv Sena candidate Devendra Desai, a contractor.
Amongst the candidates who are into fishing business including former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao, sitting Independent MLA Benjamin D’Silva, and BJP Velim candidate Vinay Tari, who is also into private tutorials.
The bus owners and contractors, includes BJP’s sitting MLA Rajan Naik and Goa Forward Party Velim nominee Anthony Babush Rodrigues. Goa Forward mentor Vijai Sardesai, who is seeking re-election from Fatorda, is a big time real estate developer.
AAP Goa State Convenor and Party Chief Ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes said the party has fielded the most number of professionals in Salcete as it believes that professionals should take over the governance for the aam aadmi. “The State has been for long ruled by career politicians, who are responsible for the sorry state of affairs. The career politicians are responsible for the mess. The AAP has nominated professionals from the aam aadmi for the good of Goa," he added.
