Team Herald
PANJIM: Babush Monserrate, an MLA who the Congress party sacked and Pandurang Madakaikar who has openly spoken against the party and expressed his desire to contest for MGP or BJP, have been given the luxury to “decide” if they want the Congress party ticket.
The Congress is not even sure if its bonafide MLA Jennifer Monserrate will decide to contest on its ticket and has conceded that it’s not the party but her husband Babush Monserrate who will decide on her future with the party.
Addressing a press conference, AICC General Secretary in charge of Goa Digvijay Singh said that except for Madkaikar, Babush and Jennifer, the candidature of its other five sitting MLAs has been confirmed. “We are not clear about these three people. Babush, who was expelled from the party, has not expressed any desire to contest on the Congress ticket. Jennifer is still with us but finally she will always take a call based on his (Babush) decision,” he said.
“We are getting different signals through various statements made by Madkaikar in the last two months. He has been giving conflicting statements. He himself is confused. Hence his candidature is also not clear,” the AICC leader added.
Shockingly, Madkaikars’ open tirade against the Congress and the decision of the Congress to expel Babush Monseratte form the party has not come in the way of the Goa Congress actually hopping and waiting for these two MLAs, who have worked against the party, to contest on the Congress ticket.
Meanwhile, the party confirmed tickets for the 2017 State Assembly elections to five sitting MLAs, Pratap Singh Rane and his son Vishwajit, Babu Kavlekar, Digambar Kamat and Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco.
Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho has been considered “already out of the Congress”, without the GPCC officially issuing him a single notice for open indiscipline
The party is set to field candidates in all 40 Assembly constituencies and will have a combination of new young faces and some senior party members. Singh, held a marathon meeting on Friday scrutinising the list of probable candidates as proposed by the North and South Goa district committees.
The Congress was reduced to nine MLAs in the 2012 elections. The party later expelled Babush for anti-party activities. Recently, the St Cruz MLA announced he would float a new political outfit and he along with his wife would contest the coming elections from this party.
On the other hand, Madkaikar, was initially in talks with MGP and it is now learnt that he may contest on a BJP ticket.
“Congress party has always given preference to younger people. Also at the same time we need experience. We need the experience of the seniors and enthusiasm of the youth,” Singh said.
“We will have another round of meeting before sending the final list to central election committee for approval,” Singh said.
