For a moment, Goemkars were left to wonder what exactly was Congress national general secretary K C Venugopal’s brief during his weekend visit to Goa? For, Venugopal came, assessed the political situation and returned to the national capital—but not before sending out a clear message. Contrary to speculation that he had arrived on a fire-fighting mission to broker peace among the warring Congress factions, his visit ended with what many see as a clean chit for embattled Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girishbab Chodankar. The unmistakable message from the party high command was that it has little faith in the allegations levelled against Girishbab and continues to view him as the right person to lead the State Congress ahead of the 2027 Assembly election. Any questions?
Mystery MLA’s WhatsApp msg that sparked the NDZ storm
Guess who the MLA is who reportedly sent a WhatsApp message to Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane requesting that a property be removed from the No Development Zone under Section 39-A. The Minister stirred a political storm after revealing that, while objections were being raised in certain quarters over the NDZ and NDA issues, an MLA had privately sought such a favour. The obvious question is: who is this MLA, and why is the Minister reluctant to disclose the name? Is it the legislator from the ruling alliance or the Opposition? More importantly, what is the MLA’s public stand on the NDZ/NDA controversy? Wait and watch.
Election time: When regrets become campaign strategy
Election season often brings with it a wave of political soul-searching, with leaders admitting to past mistakes. This week was no different. Varca strongman Churchill Alemao publicly acknowledged that contesting the previous Assembly election on the Trinamool Congress ticket, along with daughter Valanka, was a major mistake. Earlier, social activist Pratima Coutinho admitted that quitting the Congress to join the Aam Aadmi Party was the biggest political mistake of her life. Don’t be surprised if more leaders aspiring to contest the 2027 Assembly election reach out to voters with apologies for their past political decisions. Wait and watch.
Yuri behind the wheel, politics in motion
Leader of the Opposition Yuribab Alemao was seen in the driver’s seat as he personally drove Congress national general secretary K C Venugopal, Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare, and Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girishbab Chodankar. Critics remarked that it was perhaps the first time that the Leader of the Opposition had been seen driving his vehicle while ferrying senior party leaders. Yuribab’s supporters, however, saw nothing unusual about the episode. They point out that he is a trained commercial pilot and, more significantly, now heads the Congress campaign as chairman for the 2027 Goa Assembly election. Any questions?
New poll calculation: Churchill may make way for daughter
For perhaps the first time in recent years, Varca strongman Churchillbab Alemao has indicated that he is willing to step aside if the Congress decides to field daughter Valankabai from Navelim. The statement marks a departure from his long-held position that while Valanka would contest from Navelim, he himself would seek election from his home constituency of Benaulim. It could not be ascertained what brought about a change in Churchillbab’s mind – whether Churchill has realised that seeking two tickets for the family would be politically unwise, or has been advised to prioritise his daughter’s candidature? Interesting, isn’t it?
