The development assumes significance given the importance the Pinto family has in Benaulim politics as Anthony is a former Varca sarpanch, his brother Gabriel is a key member of the seafarer community and other brother Nazario is a local leader.
While the meetings that have taken place so far with GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro and the Pinto family has been about Anthony renewing his membership with the party, the decision about his two brothers Gabriel and Nazario joining the party will be taken later.
The family has also been the arch rivals of the Alemao family in Benaulim, and while the GPCC leadership has not confirmed who will get the ticket, it is expected that the Pinto family will stake a claim for the ticket, virtually sealing the fate of Churchill Alemao and his plans to contest on the Congress ticket.
When AICC general secretary Girish Chodankar was asked to comment about Anthony joining the party and what this means in the race for the ticket given that former Cavelossim Sarpanch Edwin Barreto is also vying for the ticket, he said that all decisions about the ticket will be taken at a later stage. “We know Edwin is a loyal Congressman and held the flag of Congress in Benaulim during difficult days. The Congress has a ticket distribution system in place; nobody can promise a ticket to anyone. Our membership drive is on. So many people approach us for renewing membership as well as for joining. We are also contacting various people to join Congress,” said Chodankar.
Speaking to the media, Anthony has confirmed that he had chosen Congress and that he was approached by other regional parties in the past. He added that he had stayed away in the last election due to local leaders and not the party.
Edwin has also welcomed the decision of Anthony renewing his membership with the party and has left the decision on who will get the ticket to the party leadership.
It is to be noted that that former Benaulim Congress MLA Churchill Alemao has always maintained that he wanted to contest on the Congress ticket even though he has not officially approached the party about this, and that if he is not given the ticket, he will contest as an independent.
When asked to comment on the party’s decision on Churchill and his brother Joaquim Alemao, who is harboring similar ambitions from his former constituency of Cuncolim, Chodankar stated, “The final decisions of tickets will be decided by the central election authority.”
He added, “That’s the strength of Congress. In Congress, anyone can desire to get a ticket.”
When pointed out that many in his party and the public had not taken the party leadership’s announcement seriously about giving a chance to new faces and that it was rumoured that the party will persist with old faces, Chodankar refuted the same.
“People are free to gossip. Our GPCC president has already announced that many new faces will be promoted and I think we are progressing with this idea. The central leadership is also serious about giving new faces. This is the common aspirations of the people of Goa and we should respect it,” said Chodankar.
