Team Herald
PANJIM: Congress on Thursday released its first list of eight candidates for the 2022 State Assembly elections. The list included two of the three sitting MLAs.
Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat and three-time MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco will re-contest the elections from Margao and Curtorim constituencies respectively.
Interestingly, Congress’ longest sitting MLA and a former chief minister, Pratapsingh Rane, did not figure in the first list giving rise to speculation of whether he will contest or not.
Altone D’Costa from Quepem is the only completely new face in the list who has never contested a election, while the party has given tickets to four others, who had lost elections in the past.
Yuri Alemao, who had unsuccessfully contested polls on NCP ticket from Sanguem constituency in 2012 will now contest from Cuncolim, a constituency represented by his father Joaquim Alemao for two terms.
Rajesh Verekar, son of former Minister Shivdas Shet Verekar will replace former Chief Minister Ravi Naik, who resigned and rejoined BJP a few days ago in Ponda constituency.
The party has fielded former Panjim Mayor Tony Rodrigues from Taleigao constituency. Fernandes had contested from Taleigao in 2002 and lost.
Former Mapusa chairperson and councillor Sudhir Kandolkar has been re-nominated for the Mapusa seat, which he had unsuccessfully contested in by-poll held in 2019.
The party has reposed its faith in its vice president Sankalp Amonkar, who has been given a ticket for the third time from Mormugao constituency.
The list of candidates was issued by Mukul Wasnik, general secretary incharge of Central Election Committee (CEC) of Congress.
This is perhaps the first time that Congress has released a list of candidates even before the announcement of election dates. The party usually waits until the nomination process begins to release its list.
