Avertano, Luizinho, Churchill’s clout will be known on May 16
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: In this Assembly segment in South Goa, the April 12 Lok Sabha poll is being seen more as a battle for prestige amongst local political players than the key contestants in fray.
In focus are not so much the Congress candidate Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco or his BJP rival Narendra Sawaikar, but the likes of Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, his arch rival Churchill Alemao and AICC general Secretary Luizinho Faleiro. The trio literally call the shots in Navelim politics and Navelcars will be certainly anxious to know who amongst the trio enjoys clout and support of the 18,704 voters who cast their vote in the April 12 poll.
Take the case of Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado. After emerging a giant killer by defeating Churchill Alemao in the 2012 Assembly poll with BJP’s support, Avertano faces an acid test of his leadership. His arch rival Churchill is amongst the three main candidates contesting the South Goa Lok Sabha poll and any slump in the vote for BJP’s Sawaikar may be viewed adversely not just by the BJP leadership since he is a member of the Parrikar cabinet, but by local political observers alike. The Navelim MLA had publicly thrown his weight behind the BJP candidate, even going to the extent of giving a clean chit to the BJP that the party is not communal. Incidentally, a section within the Congress party feels that the party doors are now wide open for the independent MLA after Churchill’s exit in the run up to the Lok Sabha poll. Sources said the May 16 election result will determine the fate of the Independent MLA as the BJP leadership is unlikely to sit quite and watch helplessly if Narendra Sawaikar fails to garner a lead in Navelim, where the party enjoys a sizeable vote bank.
On the other hand the Trinamool Congress candidate Churchill Alemao knows for sure that he cannot afford to lose in Navelim segment for the simple reason that any poor showing would only reflect on his popularity in a segment which he is banking on to take a sizeable lead over the Congress and the BJP. For Churchill, a lead in Navelim is a must, sources say, since he has already chalked out plans to take on the Congress in the 2017 Assembly poll under the TMC banner.
AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro’s decision to come down to Navelim from Delhi to organise Congress workers on the eve of the Lok Sabha poll has raised many an eyebrow in the political circle. Since his defeat at the hands of Churchill Alemao in the 2007 Assembly poll, Luizinho had stayed away from Navelim politics, though his workers were believed to have thrown their weight behind Avertano to defeat Churchill in the 2012 Assembly poll. Though Faleiro has time and again ruled out his return to state politics, the Lok Sabha poll will be indeed testing time for AICC general secretary to test the political waters back home.
Navelim has been a Congress borough over the years, though the BJP also enjoys a presence in this segment. In the keenly fought 2009 Lok Sabha poll, the Congress had led over the BJP nominee by a slender margin of 93 votes.
The Congress had taken a huge lead in Navelim in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll
when then Congress candidate Churchill Alemao polled 13,393 votes as against Ramakhant Angle’s 4,324 votes.
