TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Congress is likely to increase the number of names in the list of aspirants – in addition to the existing list of eight probables – for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the newly appointed Goa Pradesh Congress committee president said.
He also said a list of those who he feels should be in his committee had been submitted to the High Command for their approval. Dr Chella Kumar was in the State a couple of days ago to elicit views of to leaders. Also leaders like Churchill Alemao and Vishwajit Rane too had met the president, probably on the same issue.
On the Lok Sabha seat issue, insiders say back door talks were on between the Congress NCP alliance and estranged BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh, with sources saying that he was vying for an MP ticket and ensuring a Congress ticket to his wife even as All India Congress Committee (AICC) has apparently sent its observers to Goa to conduct a survey and to probably find out more ‘winnable’ Lok Sabha candidates.
Fernandes, who along with Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Rane will be appearing before the party’s Central Election Committee in the first week of January 2014, has not ruled out recommending additional names to the eight people sent by former president Subash Shirodkar.
“There could be more names. The AICC observers were also in Goa to carry out a survey and come to a consensus over the names for Lok Sabha elections…. It was a completely confidential drive as we were not involved and neither do we know who those central observers were,” he told Herald.
He said the fresh names would be discussed with the new committee for its views and suggestions, provided it is formed before the scheduled meeting date in Delhi in January 2014.
“I would like to place before the committee the new names, once we come across. But if the committee is not formed till then, we will place the list before the central committee’s scrutiny committee,” he said. “The scrutiny committee chaired by Madhu Sudan Mistry will further shortlist the names to submit before the party’s parliamentary board and Congress Working Committee who are the final authority to decide final names for contesting the Lok Sabha elections.”
The previous committee, which now stands dissolved, had recommended sitting South Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha, Luizinho Faleiro, Ravi Naik and Churchill Alemao for South Goa ticket while in North Goa, the names doing the rounds are those of Ramakant Khalap and Jitendra Deshprabhu. The GPCC head is holding one-on-one interaction with each of these leaders.
On the formation of PCC, Fernandes said he has already submitted 56 names for inclusion in the committee to the party high command. “I would like to bring together everybody in my committee….We have submitted names of 56 leaders and if the high command wants it can shorten it also,” he added.
Meanwhile, the GPCC chief today said he would submit before the party committee that AICC Secretary Luizinho Faleiro is not interested in contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
“I will place before the party high command that he (Faleiro) has not expressed interest in contesting the elections,” John Fernandes told Herald.
The former chief minister of Goa had told Herald during an interaction last week that he is not interested in contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, as he is busy and overloaded with party work in the other states. The senior Congress leader was elevated as general secretary of AICC, mid 2013 and given charge of six north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
