the goan I network
PANAJI
Lourenco organised Congress workers’ meet in St Cruz constituency in the last week which was attended by over 300 party workers.
GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro, Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Raoji Rane, GPCC vice president Pramod Salgaonkar, Mahila Congress president Sunita Verenkar, GPCC general secretary Pratima Coutinho and GPCC secretary Adv Atanasio Monteiro were among those who were present.
Lourenco submitted the names of the 700 newly recruited members to the party president at this event.
Speaking at the meet, GPCC general secretary Coutinho appreciated Lourenco for taking keen interest in strengthening the party’s base in St Cruz. She also voiced the demand that women candidates should be given 30 per cent of the party tickets for the upcoming poll.
Santa Cruz Block Congress in a meeting held in the last week of July had shortlisted names of four probable candidates which were forwarded to the District Congress Committee. Apart from Lourenco, the shortlist included St Cruz Block Congress president John Pereira, St Cruz Block convenor Kishor Narvekar and Goa Pradesh Congress Commitee’s state minority chairman Urfan Mulla. St Cruz, which has been a Congress stronghold, had seen its sitting MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate being expelled from Congress for six years in March 2015 by All India Congress Committee for anti-party activities during the Panaji by-polls.
The party continues to view St Cruz as a traditional Congress seat and continues to bank on a vote bank of around 5,000 to 6,000.
