TEAM HERALD
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CANACONA: The limelight of lobbying for Congress ticket to contest Canacona seat has now been shifted to Delhi with the party continuing to be elusive on widely believed stand of admitting BJP MLA from the taluka.
Interestingly, BJP’s Canacona MLA Vijay Poi Khot and the three other strong contenders are equally confident of scoring over others to win Congress ticket.
“I was called to Delhi, as my party wanted me to present my case for nomination to contest Canacona seat to the Congress Steering Committee Chairman Oscar Fernandes,” former minister Isidore Fernandes told Herald.
Incidentally, when Isidore and Daya Pagui rushed to Delhi two days ago, rumours were that the party leadership called all the ticket aspirants to strike a deal not to leave the party if Poi Khot is romped in and allotted ticket to contest Canacona seat as congress nominee.
However, Isidore strongly refuted the claim. “Nothing of that sort was discussed with me, but I was asked to present my case justifying my claim for ticket when I called on Oscar Fernandes and soon I left Delhi.” “There is no point in staying at Delhi, even though others are putting up in Goa Sadan for days together just in their efforts to get an audience with Oscar and others,” claimed Isidore.
Daya Pagui is still camping in Delhi for the last three days and has reportedly met Oscar Fernandes but is staying behind to meet Brar, who is away in his home state Punjab due to elections there.
Sources close to Pagui are equally confident of their leader getting Congress nomination for having capacity of pull-off surprise win.
Third ticket aspirant Sanajy Bandekar, presently keeping a low-profile, is being reportedly canvassed at Delhi for Congress ticket by his son-in-law minister in Karnataka Anand Asnotikar.
Asnotikar, a former Congressman, but now a BJP minister is known to be very close to a few Congress leaders at Delhi including former Goa desk in-charge Margaret Alva.
All the three ticket aspirants hope that things will go in their favour and their belief becomes stronger with Poi Khot not yet resigning or showing any inclination to leave his party.
