Churchill and Joaquim: An unpredictable road ahead
MARGAO
One knocked the Congress doors for re-entry, while the younger one lobbied hard for the party ticket till the very end, before the two brothers lost favour with the Congress leadership ahead of the 2017 Assembly election.
Snubbed by the Congress party, questions are raised around Benaulim and Cuncolim countryside whether the Alemao brothers “ Churchill and Joaquim “ who threw their hat in the electoral ring on the NCP banner and Independent respectively are right in contention for the Benaulim and Cuncolim seats. In fact, one question doing the rounds in Benaulim and Cuncolim countryside post February 4 election is whether the two brothers -- who have been down and out politically after their rout along with their siblings in the 2012 Assembly election -- are on a political comeback in their respective constituencies.
Polling trend in both Benaulim and Cuncolim have shown that both Churchill and Joaquim have emerged as strong contenders for the two seats. Take the case of Benaulim. The senior Alemao and former PWD minister, who is contesting from the constituency after a gap of 15 years, is vying for the seat with sitting Independent MLA Caitu Silva. In a seven cornered contest, Churchill and Caitu seem to have emerged strong contenders along with Aam Aadmi Party candidate Royla Fernandes. Churchill’s fate, observers say, will be decided by the number of votes he polls from Benaulim village “ where he is banking to make a strong return to the constituency. Colva village had never stood behind the Alemao clan in many an electoral battles, but local observers say that the situation is not bad for Churchill this time. “The amount of support I received from the people of Benaulim makes me feel confident that I should regain the Benaulim seat by a margin of minimum 3,000 votes," Churchill said.
Joaquim Alemao, on the other hand, has managed to cover a lot of ground in the last few days to stay in reckoning for the Cuncolim seat. That the battle for the Cuncolim seat had narrowed down between Joaquim and his friend turned foe, Congress nominee Clafacio Dias indicates that the former two-time Cuncolim MLA is indeed in strong contention for the seat, though poll observers do not rule out the possibility of the silent majority of Cuncolim voters rallying behind Aam Aadmi Party Chief Minister’s candidate, Elvis Gomes. “I had full trust in the people of Cuncolim constituency. They had seen my development work and reposed their faith in me. I am confident that polling in the constituency has gone in my favour," he added.
Says political commentator, Adv Cleofato Coutinho: “The Congress may have some special reasons for denying the tickets to the Alemao brothers. Certain factor must have weighed heavily on the mind of the Congress leadership when they decided not to do business with Churchill and Joaquim. It could not be true that the Alemao brother, Churchill in particular, was strong in Benaulim, but the Congress leadership must have thought that any business with him in one constituency might have repercussions elsewhere in the State."
That brings the moot question whether the Congress would be ready to do business with the Alemao brothers if they win the two seats. Adv Coutinho said, “this is a question to be decided by the Congress leadership, especially taking into account the number game and if the duo agrees to support the party in the formation of the government."
represented Benaulim three-times since 1989. He had won the election from Benaulim in 1989, 1994 and 1999 before his innings was cut short by Mickky Pacheco in 2002.
twice represented Cuncolim constituency in 2002 and 2007. His plan to play the third innings from Cuncolim was cut short by BJP’s Rajan Naik in the 2012 election.
