Cong to launch fortnight-long ‘Abhiyan’ to revamp Goa unit

PANAJI
The Congress in Goa will launch a fortnight-long 'abhiyan' from Tuesday (February 17) to beef up its organisation and appoint heads for the four districts -- North Goa, Mhadei, South Goa and Kushavati.
The party has roped in senior national and State leaders as 'observers' to oversee the exercise which will involve these observers camping in the jurisdiction of those 'districts' for a week to confabulate with party workers and leaders from those areas.
Announcing the programme, AICC Goa in-charge, Manikrao Thakare, said reports of each of the four districts will be sent to the AICC which will then pick the four district presidents.
Thakre was speaking at a press conference held at the Congress headquarters in Panaji on Friday where GPCC President Amit Patkar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, MLAs Carlos Alvares-Ferreira and Altone D'Costa and former chief minister Francisco Sardinha were present.
Thakre said the Congress has launched such an organisation-building exercise across the nation and the exercise has been completed in 17 States. This campaign will be held in Goa along with four other States, including Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Accordingly, the Central observers will come to Goa and meet activists, office bearers, and party well-wishers in the districts allotted to them from February 17 for two weeks.
"The Central observers will visit each constituency and booths in the jurisdiction of their 'district' and also camp there for seven days. Interviews will be held with those aspiring for the post of district president during the exercise," Thakare said.
He said the central observers will prepare a report and recommend the names of three eligible candidates to the Central Committee. After this, the district presidents will be picked from among those.
The observers will also be submitting daily reports of their work through their stay to the Central committee, Thakre said, adding that the campaign will aim to reach the grassroots to strengthen the party organisation.
Meanwhile, Patkar said each of the central observers will be assisted by State observers. For the North Goa district, Shobha Oza will be the central observer and she will be assisted by Sardinha as the State observer.
Similarly, N Raghuveer Reddy will be the central observer for South Goa. Quepem MLA, Altone D'Costa and GPCC vice president, Tulio De Souza will assist Reddy as State observers.
For the Mhadei 'district', the party has roped in AICC joint treasurer R C Khuntia and he will be assisted by Aldona MLA, Carlos Alvares and GPCC vice-president Sunil Khautankar as State observers.
Vijay Inder Singla will be assisted by South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes and Goa Mahila Congress president Pratiksha Khalap for the Kushavati district.