TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: Dissidence appears to have hit the Congress party in Canacona takuka, with the taluka leaders virtually clueless on the party’s local strategy to fight the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The situation is quite the opposite in the BJP camp, with its grassroots workers upbeat and almost ready to go to the polls at anytime, after holding several rounds of booth level meetings with its cadres.
The Congress has been known to start its campaign late in Canacona taluka, but what has surprised many in the taluka is that none of its local leaders, including the block leaders, have any inclination on the party’s local strategy to fight the elections.
“We have not yet met the electorate as yet. We are also yet to work out a strategy on how to go about meeting with the electorate to support the party candidate Reginald Lourenco in the Lok Sabha polls. We are looking up for guidance from our bosses in the party,” said Canacona Congress Block Committee President Elvis Fernandes.
Fernandes, who is out of the taluka since the last one week, informed Herald that most of the local leaders have been called to attend a meeting at the party’s South Goa headquarters in Margao.
“We expect to move out to meet the local leaders by Sunday or Monday, to finalize dates for our corner meetings,” added Fernandes.
Fernandes, however, dismissed criticism that the Congress party in Canacona is yet to move into top gear regarding its campaign in the taluka.
“Congress grassroots workers usually doesn’t always remain as vibrant as that of our rival party cadres, but our workers always rise to the occasion at the right time,” said Fernandes.
Over a fortnight ago, a low profile Congress block meet was held in the taluka and it was attended by only a few of grassroots workers, though many party leaders from South, including the former minister Isidore Fernandes, were present at the meeting.
Incidentally, rebel Congress leader Churchill Alemao, who plans to contest as an independent candidate, has been contacting several local leaders in south Goa, including those from Canacona taluka, sources told Herald.
“Phone calls were received by many local leaders, including those who wield considerable influence in panchayat politics, as they were requested to stand by him (Churchill) and dump the Congress,” informed a source, who incidentally was one of the recipients of Alemao’s midnight phone call.
On the other hand, the BJP and the Aam Admi Party (AAP) have already poached several local Congress workers into their camps.
A few local elected representatives have already vouched their support to BJP after being lured by the promise of development works in their areas after the elections, many Canacona congress workers are diverting their attention towards the AAP due its one-point position of ‘No Corruption’.
Except for a few municipal areas of Canacona assembly segment, the BJP has its strong cadre presence in almost all 51 polling booths in the villages of Loliem-Polem, Poinguinim, Cotigao, Gaondongrim, Shristhal and Agonda.
