TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: There is a pre-election allergic rash spreading through the Congress. They are appearing as pockmarks of dissent as the lines of friendship and foe-ship are redrawn. With a good fortnight to go before tickets are finalised, it is each to himself or herself. The shocker though is the Congress’ latest round of decision making at the Centre has further deepened the crisis of dissension.
FLASHPOINT FATORDA: Rahul Gandhi without possibly knowing this has created the biggest flashpoint at Fatorda
Sources in the party told Herald that the junior Gandhi has sent a note to Oscar, Sonia and Brar for finalising tickets for former Youth Congress president Sankalp Amonkar and present one Pratima Coutinho.
“The note was discussed at the screening committee meeting in
Back in Fatorda, the decision has sent shockwaves. Coutinho was never a contender or an applicant and in fact was being counted as one of Vijay Sardessai’s main supporters. The announcement has actually brought together disparate forces. While the Pratima Coutinho “match-fixing” is being attributed to various people including the Chief Minister, the end result is that the Congress might actually lose a seat which was very much in their pocket.
Moreover, her husband Savio Coutinho is lobbying to get a ticket for himself to contest against Digambar Kamat. When asked if this isn’t a conflict of interest, he said “ My wife is free to take her decision and I am free to take mine. I will contest from Margao.” Backroom channels though are talking of a last minute deal between Coutinho and Digambar Kamat.
A similar hara-kiri is being committed in St Cruz. The Congress has decided not to field Victoria Fernandes as sitting MLA. The ostensible reason is that she did not enrol a single member in the Youth Congress membership drive from her constituency. Victoria Fernandes, however, managed to meet party president Sonia Gandhi for a brief while in
Meanwhile, reacting to Herald’s report on Joaquim Alemao being deeply upset about his son Yuri’s ticket not being finalised, Alemao clarified “I fully support Valanka getting the ticket. She is my family and I will stand by my family” Joaquim however was silent on the specific stand that he would take, only saying “Im very hopeful that it will be done (ticket for Yuri)”
It is clearly evident that without quite thinking Congress has seriously hampered its chances in Fatorda, Canacona, St Cruz and to perhaps to an extent in Cuncolim. Three dents is an election which is running close could make the difference between forming a government or losing it.
