Cong pins hopes on loyal party workers

ROHAN SHRIVASTAV | NT

Panaji: The Congress is banking on the loyal party workers to deliver victory for the party in the Zilla Panchayat elections, especially on the turf of the ten former Congress MLAs, who have switched over to the BJP.

The Opposition party is focusing on creating new leadership and grooming the young leaders, as there is a leadership vacuum in the party.

The Congress party has fielded its candidates in 38 ZP constituencies, while in most of the remaining 12 constituencies the party has ‘adjusted’ with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in appreciation of the support the MGP had openly extended to Congress candidates during the 2019 parliamentary election.

The Opposition party has not fielded its candidate in Taleigao, which is a stronghold of Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate and his wife Jennifer Monserrate, who is the local MLA. However, the party has fielded Sudesh Kalangutkar and Shiny Oliveira in Chimbel and Santa Cruz, respectively; these two ZP constituencies are also considered to be the strongholds of Monserrates and not Santa Cruz MLA Antonio Fernandes.

The grand old party is mostly concentrating on nine ZP constituencies in Salcete taluka.

A senior leader of the Congress from South Goa said that the party is expecting to win in at least four to five constituencies in Salcete. He claimed that leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat and South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha have personally scrutinised the names recommended by the South Goa district committee.

The Congress party claimed that the ruling BJP-led government has ‘strategically’ reserved constituencies for women, women from OBC (other backward classes) and OBC where the Congress party had strong candidates from the general category, including the Congress-supported sitting independent ZP members, who were eyeing Congress ticket this election.

In Guirdolim ZP constituency, the party has fielded former sarpanch Sonia Fernandes, while in Nuvem, which has been reserved for women candidates belonging to ST community, the Congress has shown faith in Assuciana Rodrigues. There are many individuals who were denied ticket by the Congress party after which they have filed their nominations as independent candidates.

Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco is unhappy, as the block committee of his constituency did not consult him while recommending the names of the probable candidates to the party for Raia and Curtorim seats. However, sources in the party claimed that South Goa district president of the Congress Joe Dias discussed the names and also the candidates’ merits and demerits before sending the names to the Pradesh Congress Committee.

There are many Congress workers, who have threatened to leave the party after they were denied ticket for the ZP polls. However, sources said that the local leadership will approach these workers with their explanation and convince them to continue to work for the party.

The fate of Congress in the 2022 state assembly election will largely depend on the party’s success or failure in this ZP election.