BATTLEGROUND
ASSEMBLY POLL
Salcete’s present and former MLAs, beware. In an election season where talks of formation of new political parties have literally become the order of the day, Salcete’s Zilla Panchayat members and their kith and kin have come under the radar of seasoned political players and parties. With their eyes firmly set on the 2017 electoral battle, these players seem knocking the doors of the Zilla members as they scout for candidates ahead of the poll due around 13 months from now.
If Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Luizinho Faleiro has managed to win over ZP members, Wilfred D’Sa and Clafacio Dias, to the Congress fold, as part of his exercise to bring in fresh and new faces in the coming election, other politicians have not lagged behind. Be it Goa Vikas Party supremo Mickky Pacheco, Independent MLA, Vijai Sardesai, Santa Cruz MLA Babush Monserrate and other political outfits, all have been knocking the doors of the Zilla members in a bid to rope them in their fold to contest the coming election on the party banner.
Barring BJP Zilla member Ulhas Tuemkar, almost all the remaining Zilla Panchayat members - Wilfred D’Sa, Clafacio Dias, Nelly Rodrigues, Cipru Cardozo and even Maria Rebello, besides the kin of ZP members Mancy Rodrigues and Fatima Gaunkar, are all open and have shown their willingness to contest the 2017 poll, reports Guilherme Almeida.
Four-time Colva ZP member Nelly Rodrigues has decided to throw her hat in the ring again in Cortalim constituency in the 2017 Assembly election. Having lost the election in 2012 by a close margin, Nelly has already started her campaign in the constituency. The only question unanswered is whether she would contest from Cortalim on the Goa Vikas Party banner or some other political outfit. Nelly says she is keeping all options open.
Clafacio has started his work in right earnest with an eye on the 2017 Assembly election right from the time he got elected to the Zilla Panchayat earlier this year, before Congress President Luizinho Faleiro got him admitted in the party fold. That Clafacio’s name finds a mention in the Congress party magazine as prospective candidates has prompted him to make his presence felt across Cuncolim constituency. Irrespective of getting the Congress ticket or not, Clafacio appears set to contest the coming election.
When Wilfred alias Babashan defeated Mickky Pacheco’s candidate in the Zilla Panchayat elections, he made no bones of the fact that he would contest the coming Assembly election against the GVP supremo in Nuvem in the 2017 election. Since then, there’s been no looking back for the two-time ZP member before he embraced the Congress party after the party leadership promised him the party ticket. Wilfred says that he would be in the fray irrespective whether the Congress fields him for the Nuvem seat or not.
This low-profile Navelim ZP member is yet to take a call on the party he would contest the coming Assembly election. He claimed that he was contacted by GVP supremo Mickky Pacheco with an offer to contest on the regional outfit. A week ago, Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai had a meeting with Cipru to ascertain whether the Navelim ZP member would contest on the third front alliance banner. Cipru has an open mind on contesting the election, but has still not made up his mind on joining a political party.
A close aide of former PWD minister Churchill Alemao, three-time ZP member is not opposed to throwing her hat in the ring if Alemao calls it a day in politics. Considered a prospective and formidable candidate, Maria claimed that she was approached by the Aam Admi Party in the recent past to join the party. For the moment, she has maintained that she would be in the fray only in the event Churchill is out of the electoral battle in Benaulim.
Low profile former Zilla member Anthony Rodrigues is yet to make up his mind whether to contest the 2017 poll or not. But, one thing is certain that he has been contacted by some of the key political players, including Mickky Pacheco, Babush Monserrate and Vijai Sardesai. Still open in contesting the coming election, Anthony has not closed the doors to any of the players, even as Congress strong contender for the party ticket and former Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues has also requested him to re-consider his plan, if any, to contest the coming poll.
Two-time Raia Zilla member Domnic Gaunkar had contested the 2012 Assembly election from Curtorim and lost. But, he appears bracing up to once again throw his hat in the electoral ring in 2017. Domnic said that though he is firm in contesting the coming election, he is still to decide which political party he would join.
