MARGAO
Q. As the chief of the Congress campaign panel, how do you rate the chances of the party in South Goa?
A. In my honest opinion, the chances of the Congress winning the seat are very good. There’s a whole lot of dissent against the government. Our task is now to ensure that the dissent is converted into votes in our favour. We need not tell the people what to do in the election. They are aware of the situation and will vote against the government.
Q. To what extent will MGP’s decision asking its voters to vote for the Congress benefit the party candidate Francisco Sardinha in South Goa?
A. I feel that the Congress would have benefited more if the MGP had to contest the Lok Sabha poll. But, by taking the decision to support the Congress candidates, I feel the Congress will definitely benefit in many areas in the hinterlands. There’s anger against the BJP in the hinterlands as they feel that the ruling party has robbed the MGP MLA by engineering the midnight split in the regional party. All these factors will benefit the Congress.
Q. What is the situation of the Congress in the eight Assembly seats in the hinterland, where you also enjoy considerable influence.
A. As I have said earlier, the position of the Congress candidate in the hinterland areas is quite good this time. Last time, it was a totally different scenario. We initially perceived a different picture, but the ground reality is totally different now and favours the Congress.
Q. Do you think the presence of AAP will upset Congress applecart?
A. I feel that the people of South Goa have realized that the Aam Aadmi Party candidate cannot win the seat against the BJP. People have begun to realise that they will make a mistake by supporting AAP if their main agenda is to defeat the BJP in South Goa.
Q. Will the Lok Sabha result have any bearing on the survival of the coalition government.
A. I cannot say whether the Lok Sabha result will impact the coalition government. Only God can tell whether the election result will have any bearing on the government.
