NT NETWORK
Panaji
With an eye on the upcoming Goa assembly polls, the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress has nominated former Goa chief minister and the party’s national vice president Luizinho Faleiro as its candidate for an upcoming bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) party on Saturday also appointed its Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra as in-charge of the party’s Goa unit with immediate effect.
After resigning as Congress legislator on September 27, Faleiro had joined TMC on September 29 in Kolkata in the presence of Banerjee. He was subsequently appointed as the national vice president of the party on October 22.
A bypoll has been necessitated after TMC MP Arpita Ghosh tendered her resignation from the Upper House of Parliament on September 15. By-election to the Rajya Sabha seat is scheduled to be held on November 29.
As the veteran Goan politician is all set to become a member of the Upper House, sources in the TMC said the former chief minister will also be contesting the upcoming Goa assembly elections, scheduled to be held early next year.
“We are extremely pleased to nominate Luizinho Faleiro to the Upper House of the Parliament,” AITC announced the decision via a tweet from the party’s official handle, stating that the party is confident that his efforts towards serving the nation shall be appreciated widely by
our people.
Faleiro is the second Goan politician, who has been nominated to a Rajya Sabha seat from another state. Former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh after his induction into the Union cabinet as the Defence minister in 2014.
In a press release issued on Saturday, national general secretary of TMC Abhishek Banerjee said Mamata Banerjee is pleased to appoint Mahua Moitra, Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar, as in-charge of the party’s Goa unit with immediate effect.
“AITC chairperson Mamata Banerjee looks forward to a brighter future for Goa, with All India Trinamool Congress paving the way with courage and wisdom,” he said.
Meanwhile, Faleiro thanked Mamata Banerjee and all his party members for nominating him to the Rajya Sabha. “I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Goans at the national level and pledge to make Goans heard,” he said. He also said Goans would now find a voice in the Parliament to raise their issues with the help of TMC.
“There are a number of issues including the granting of special category status to Goa on the lines of the Northeast states besides environment, double-tracking of the South West railway track, three linear projects and attempt by the BJP to make Goa a coal destination. I will raise all these issues in the Parliament,” he said.
The TMC party has already announced its plan to contest the upcoming Goa legislative assembly elections in 2022 and has been working to build its base in the state. The party chief was in Goa from October 28 to October 30 and interacted with people from various walks of life.