After initially supporting the Mahagathbandhan call given by Vishwajit Rane, for Cumbharjua legislator Pandurang Madkaikar and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco now their definition of gathbandhan is something else.
The calls for Mahagathbandhan recently got a new push after junior Rane threatened to quit the party if Congress decided to go it alone in Goa polls.
Other leaders like former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, and MLAs Jennifer Monserrate, Pandurang Madkaikar and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco initially supported in favour of the grand alliance.
While Kamat still remains supportive of Grand alliance, there are now doubts over Madkaikar and Reginaldo supporting the move.
“There is an apprehension in the minds of party cadres over Mahagathbandhan as nobody knows what it is, they feel if there is alliance most of the seats will go to the alliance partners,” he said.
Madkaikar said the concerns are genuine as not many seats would remain for cadres.
“If you give seven seats to NCP and seven to GF and another four to some other small parties, what will remain? This is the fear of the block committees,” he stated.
About Mahagathbandhan, he says, “Goa cannot be like Bihar, in that state there were strong parties who could align together and there were 400 seats but here you have just 40 seats.”
“NCP has no base, GF is newly formed we don’t know their strength,” he says.
Further he says, Congress MLAs have clear view that “Only in few places we need to do adjustment and not everywhere.”
Madkaikar also questioned the hurry in alliance.
“There is still lot of time left for elections. The GPCC president has been working hard and if we just distribute seats like that all his hard work would be undone.”
Another legislator Reginaldo Lourenco stated that there is no need of Mahagathbandhan for Congress.
“All we need is adjustments in a few seats,” he stated.
Reginald said that the Congress needs to project a young face like Madkaikar, Vishwajit or Babu Kavlekar as the chief minister candidate for the forthcoming elections.
“We need new face as CM and also tickets should be given to new faces and at some places where old faces are strong they can be accommodated. We need gatbandhan in some places also where the party is not strong,” he said.
Former CM Digambar Kamat, however, said he is in favour of gathbandhan.
