MARGAO: Congress leadership admits in private that it can ill afford to ignore the Churchill Alemao factor in its traditional stronghold Salcete. While the secular versus communal debate has virtually pushed the BJP to the background in minority Salcete, the Congress still has to contend with the Churchill factor. Though the Trinamool Congress candidate is yet to come out from his “spoiler” image, party leaders admit that the Churchill factor cannot be ignored or be brushed aside. In some segments such as Velim, the battle for supremacy appears narrowing down between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. “Any split in the secular vote by the presence of Trinamool Congress would only hit the Congress,” remarked a Congress leader.
On this count, the Congress is expected to go all out against the former PWD minister in the last phase of the campaign. Congress campaign managers have already launched a sustained campaign against Churchill, saying a vote for Trinamool Congress is a vote for Narendra Modi.
