NORTH GOA
Girish, Khalap in contention for battle royale with Shripad
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MAPUSA
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President, Girish Chodankar and former union minister Ramakant Khalap of the Congress are in the race to unsettle North Goa MP Shripad Naik’s applecart in the ensuing 2019 parliamentary polls from North Goa.
The North Goa District Congress Committee has proposed the names of GPCC President Girish Chodankar, former union minister Ramakant Khalap and North Goa District Congress President Vijay Bhike, in addition to eight others who have applied for the nomination of Congress candidature for the North Goa Lok Sabha seat.
Former Pernem MLA Jitendra Deshprabhu, who once unsuccessfully contested the North Goa Parliamentary seat, social activist Rajan Ghate, Ramakant Khalap’s son Srinivas Khalap, Subodh Amonkar, Anant Pissurlekar, Mukta Mala Fondekar, Murari Parab and Khemlo Sawant are the other eight who applied for the nomination.
“Following democratic norms, we invited nomination for the North Goa parliamentary seat and received eight names. During a discussion with various booth committee members from North Goa, three more names were proposed today,” Vijay Bhike, president of North Goa District Congress Committee said while addressing the media.
He said all the 11 names along with a detailed background report of the nominees will be sent to the State PCC.
“The PCC screening committee
after examining the nominations will shortlist names to send to the central screening committee of the Congress to make the final choice,” Bhike said.
The North Goa District Congress president said that loyalty and party ideology will be given preference while selecting the candidate.
Former tourism minister and Tivim MLA Nilkant Halarnkar, Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monseratte, executive members of the district Congress, and booth committee members were present for the deliberations in the North Goa Congress district office.
SOUTH GOA
Deliberations on Sardinha, GPCC Chief and Pratima
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MARGAO
The name of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Chief Girish Chodankar, former three-time MP Francisco Sardinha, besides Mahila Congress Chief Pratima Coutinho reportedly did the rounds at the meeting of the South Goa district Congress Committee which on Wednesday set in motion the process to shortlist candidates for the party ticket.
Congress MLAs from South Goa, including leader of the Opposition Babu Kavlekar, Digambar Kamat, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Clafacio Dias, Wilfred D’Sa also met separately in the Congress south district office later in the evening to take stock of the situation ahead of shortlisting the party candidate.
South Goa district Congress president Joe Dias said the district Committee will send the names of the ticket aspirants to the Pradesh Election Committee after a meeting with the South Goa party MLAs.
“We have not finalised any names. But we heard the views of the party office bearers, block presidents and heads of frontal organisations from South Goa,” Joe said, adding that a meeting with the Congress MLAs for candidate selection will take place soon.
That the name of the GPCC Chief has figured at the district committee meeting despite the fact that Girish did not file his application for the party ticket has only added strength to speculations that the state Congress president is also a strong contender for the South Goa Lok Sabha ticket.
Sources in the know, however, said
the meeting which was attended by the Leader of the Opposition Babu Kavlekar and chaired by district President Joe Dias, saw some of the members also taking the names of former MP Francisco Sardinha and Mahila chief Pratima Coutinho.
The name of Adv Cleofato Coutinho reportedly came up for discussion when a member sought to know whether he is a member of the Congress party. District president Joe Dias is believed to have replied saying that Adv Cleofato had been a member of the party since November.
The question whether Valanka Alemao is a member of the Congress party had reportedly cropped up at the meeting, wherein the district president is believed to have maintained that her membership cannot be traced in the district party membership system.
The South Goa district Congress committee had received a total of seven applications including that of Francisco Sardinha, Pratima Coutinho, Valanka Alemao, Adv Cleofato Coutinho, Sidhanath Buyao, Daya Pagi and Arseno D’Silva.
