MARGAO
Senior Congress election observer for Goa, P Chidambaram’s promise that party workers at the blocks will decide the candidates has come to haunt the Congress leadership.
For, while the Sanguem Congress Block Committee had suggested names of as many as 14 candidates for the ticket, the presence of Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar with Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders has stirred a hornet’s nest amongst Congress workers at remote Sanguem - whether the party will honour its promise of nominating candidates based on block recommendation or the candidate will be foisted on the block from the top.
That’s not all. They have recalled Rahul Gandhi’s promise to the party workers that only the loyalists and sincere workers, youth and new faces will be accorded preference for the tickets.
A delegation of Sanguem Congress leaders called on Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Digambar Kamat on Wednesday just to find from the leadership whether the party has taken any decision to give the Sanguem ticket to the Independent MLA.
Party worker Jervis Fernandes later told the media that people questioned whether the party will repeat the 2017 history in 2022 by giving ticket to Prasad Gaonkar. “This is not just the issue of Sanguem, but entire Goa as people do not want tickets to be given to those who are not loyal,” he said.
Sandesh Kosambe reminded that the Sanguem block had recommended the names of 14 candidates on a condition that all will work for the success of the party candidate, whoever is selected amongst these names. “We have no objection to anyone of the 14 candidates recommended by the Sanguem block, but the ticket should not go to a candidate whose name has not gone from the block,” he added.
To a question, Kosambe said CLP leader Digambar Kamat has assured that the 14 candidates as well as the party workers will be taken into confidence while finalising the ticket for the party candidate.
