TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Welcome to Velim Assembly segment. Independent MLA Benjamin D’Silva, who is backing the Parrikar regime, has decided to stay neutral — neither supporting Congress candidate Reginaldo Lourenco nor opposing BJP’s Narendra Sawaikar in the April 12 Lok Sabha poll.
Unlike other Assembly segments in Salcete, the Congress is enjoying a comfortable position in Velim, but the entry of Churchill Alemao in the fray has set the stage for a Congress-Trinamool Congress battle in a Catholic dominated constituency, where the BJP enjoys little presence.
The Congress seems to have played its cards well in Velim – a constituency which had led from the front to bring about a parivartan in the state in the 2012 Assembly poll. It has virtually succeeded in bringing under one banner various factions and groups to rally behind the party candidate on the secular plank.
The party, however, will have to now contend with the Churchill factor and tune up its electoral strategy in a bid to checkmate Churchill. For, Velim is not new to Churchill, who once wielded clout in the constituency since the Konkani language agitation days. Apparently buoyed by the turn out at the workers meeting held earlier this week, Churchill has planned a meeting at Chinchinim on Sunday, which is dubbed by the TMC camp as a show of strength by the two-time MP.
The Congress camp will have to also take into account the friend circle of Churchill and his brothers, including Rossevelt and Ciabro, both of whom are engaged in the fishing industry. While Benjamin has time and again maintained that he will not support any candidate in the coming election, the Churchill camp will certainly try to woo Benjamin’s supporters on their side, especially from the Cutbona-Velim-Ambelim fishing belt. For, the Velim MLA was upset and agitated when certain Congress leaders indirectly took a dig at him at the Congress rally at Chinchinim. He is believed to have not taken kindly to the congress diatribe against him that development has suffered in Velim in the last two years.
Political analysts say the Congress camp cannot take the battle ahead in Velim for granted, especially as the party nurses hopes of taking a huge lead in the constituency. In fact, party leaders in private underscore on the need to puncture Churchill’s campaign by playing up the secularism versus communalism issue to ensure there is no division in the secular vote.
