Avertano-Caitu combine out to prove a point against Churchill, who is facing acid test
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: In these two crucial Assembly segments of South Goa Lok Sabha constituency the players remain the same, but they are engaged in a different electoral battle this time around.
Both Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado and his Benaulim counterpart Caitu Silva had cross swords against the Alemaos in the 2012 Assembly polls. With Churchill Alemao throwing his hat in the ring on the Trinamool Congress ticket, the Avertano-Caitu duo is back in action on their respective home turfs. Their prime mission in the April 12 Lok Sabha poll is to garner as many minority votes as possible for the BJP candidate. But in the bargain, they appear locked in a battle to stop Churchill from regaining lost ground in their respective constituencies.
Take the case of Navelim, Fisheries Minister Avertano and archrival Churchill Alemao are bracing up for yet another political show down on the fertile plains of Navelim. As expected, Avertano has thrown his weight behind BJP candidate Narendra Sawaikar. Avertano does not mince words when he says that the people of Navelim will show Churchill his true place in the Lok Sabha poll. Though the Congress is BJP’s main rival in this election, Avertano treats Churchill as his number one political adversary, and is bracing up to check mate the former PWD Minister in Navelim.
Churchill, on the other hand, has accepted Avertano’s challenge and is working all out to gain the much-needed lead in Navelim. In fact, Navelim finds a mention in Churchill’s list of Assembly segments in South Goa, where he expects to take a sizeable lead over his rivals, even though Avertano has called upon his supporters to ensure that the Trinamool Congress candidate forfeits his security deposit.
In the 2012 Assembly election, Avertano had turned out a giant killer after he defeated Churchill by a comfortable margin. There’s no love lost between the two arch rivals since then and the ensuing Lok Sabha poll offers them an opportunity yet again to outwit each other in this all-important bastion.
The situation is no better in neighbouring Benaulim across the river Sal. Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva along with his close aides, including Nazario Pinto and Anthony Reginaldo Rodrigues, both known detractors of the former PWD Minister, has hit the election campaign in support of the BJP candidate. It’s not uncommon, however, to find the platform being used to fire guns at Churchill for his decision to throw his hat in the ring. In fact, Caitu has not left a single stone unturned to expose Churchill on his decision to file a disqualification petition against him and putting around a lakh Goans with Portuguese citizenship in trouble.
In the 2012 Assembly poll, Caitu had defeated Valanka Alemao by a comfortable margin, making his presence all across the constituency. The Caitu and the Alemao camps had been at war since then over the Portuguese citizenship tangle.
For Churchill, the ensuing Lok Sabha poll offers him an opportunity to test his popularity in Benaulim as he is bracing up to contest from the constituency in the anticipated by-poll in the event of the disqualification of the Benaulim MLA.
