cuncolim: Congress candidate Clafacio Dias on Saturday dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party as “not a factor” in Cuncolim this election and said that he would win the seat comfortably with the help of rural voters in the constituency.
Clafacio also sounded confident that the Congress would secure 18-19 seats this election in Goa. The marker though has a mixed version and is not sure of who may emerge as a winner.
When Herald team visited him at his election office in Cuncolim to find the buzz in the historic town, Clafacio said, “My candidate won against the Joaquim Alemao’s in the Zilla Parishad election and my personal lead as the candidate was 4591 votes which was highest in South Goa. If Joaquim is spending money let him do so, I don’t care.”
Disclosing his strategy for winning the election from Cuncolim, Claficio said, “I have a strong hold over Chandor, Guirdolim, Macazana, Ambaulim and other areas. My support base is rural areas and the Delhi High Command has surveyed and discovered this fact. That is the reason why I got a ticket, and for the same reason, I will win the election.”
On the prospects of his AAP opponent winning Cuncolim, Clafacio said, “Elvis won’t get more than 2,000 votes and he will finish fourth in the race. AAP has no way to win. This is because, many candidates drive support from urban area, but only I have the rural support. I have roamed in all the rural areas and have captured over 60% of the votes and even 30% of the urban voters will send me to the finish line first.”
When asked how the secular votes will be divided, Clafacio said, “Adv John won’t get more than 500 votes.”
Clafacio may be confident of his victory, but for the people in Cuncolim market area the election trend is a big puzzle. A local shopkeeper said, “The result is going to be mixed and surprising. The sitting MLA has lost his charisma and Clafacio is in a quicksand.”
A motorcycle pilot on the main junction had a similar views saying, “The people are confused and the verdict they will give will be more confusing.”
A pedestrian who Herald caught up with said: “The rebellions within the Congress and the anti-incumbency factor working against the BJP may pave way for some third person.”
