MARGAO: The Fatorda Congress is a shining example of the confusion and chaos within the party whose own leader of the opposition is a partner in the Margao Civic alliance with the Fatorda Forward backed by the GFP.
The Fatorda Block Congress Committee has fielded six candidates in the Fatorda Assembly segment for the ensuing Margao Municipal Council elections, but the real battle in the 11 wards is largely going to be between Vibrant Margao and Fatorda Forward panels.
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While Bharatiya Janata Party has floated the Vibrant Margao panel with candidates in all the 11 wards, Fatorda Forward which is the Goa Forward Party’s panel also has candidates in all the wards and there is an agreement between MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardessai on seat sharing for these polls.
As per the agreement Goa Forward Party would concentrate only on the wards in the Fatorda assembly segment while Digambar Kamat would concentrate on the 11 wards in the Margao assembly constituency and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco would look after the three wards in his constituency.
The Fatorda Block Congress while pointing out that it was an arrangement between MLAs and not the party decided to contest the municipal elections just to make the presence of the party felt in the constituency where it has been nowhere in the picture for the last 20 years. Political watchers state that this was a result of deep divisions within the party because of which no decision is actually a party decision.
The six candidates sponsored by the Congress Party are Fatima Barretto in ward No. 3, Jessy Sandra Vas in ward No. 4, Yogesh Arvind Nagvenkar in ward No. 6, Roshal Fernandes in ward No. 9, Rajat Luma Kamat in ward No. 10 and Anwar Babulal Sayed in ward No. 11.
Besides, a new panel called the Citizen’s Choice Panel has fielded candidates in 4 wards and they are Mackenzie D’Costa in ward No. 1, Royston Gomes in ward No. 7, Adv Seoula Avilla Vas in ward No. 3 and Manuel Oliveira in ward No. 9.
However, the main battle is expected to be between the Vibrant Margao and Fatorda Forward panels with the Congress candidates not expected to make much of a mark. In fact campaign managers for Fatorda Forward dismissed the Congress candidates as inconsequential and some even wondered whether they will be able to secure their deposit.
Aashish Kamat who is the in-charge of the Congress in Fatorda said they are contesting the elections only to assert the presence of the party in the constituency and said, people are free to have their opinion on the performance of their candidates.
However, this is akin to being an insignificant drop in the ocean.
But the block Congress hasn’t given up its claims to relevance. “We have made the Congress relevant as it is only after our press conference where we objected to an alliance with Vijai Sardesai because his party the GFP was a part of the National Democratic Alliance, that GFP resigned from the NDA,” said Kamat.
Replying to a question he said if any of their candidates win the elections they would support Digambar Kamat’s panel as both belong to the Congress Party. “He is the Leader of Opposition and senior member of the party and we shall stand by him after the elections,” he said.
What is significant is that the voters in Fatorda too do not have much confidence in the Congress panel as Durgesh a carpenter from Fatorda said “it is a battle between Goa Forward and BJP in Fatorda with Congress not at all featuring in the picture.”
While the actual situation will be known after the ballots are counted the Citizen’s Choice Panel which is making a very strident effort in these elections are looking forward to reaping the benefits in the battle between the two giants due to which they may emerge the ultimate winners.
