PANJIM: Political analysts are not amused by the delay in declaring the Congress candidates of Goa. Partymen and women are trying to find some justification. They feel that South Goa has been a Congress bastion, but with the delay in announcing candidates, they appear to be trailing behind in the campaign race.
Political analyst Prabhakar Timble said, ”Congress is not in an advantageous position. But they have not lost the game as there are issues within the BJP and with the BJP candidate in South Goa as well. BJP workers are disappointed because their aspirant has not been chosen. So the confidence of the BJP is not high. Where does the confidence look high –in the temples? The BJP candidate who has stepped into the political market visits temples everywhere. What message are we giving the citizens? What should she do, take oaths in temples, protect the religion or safeguard the rights of the citizen? The game is not lost for the Congress, but they have to get their house in order.” Savio Coutinho, former Margao chairperson said, ”We were anxious about the delay, but now understand the strategy. Although the aggressive campaign hasn’t started, Congress aspirants are engaging in underground campaigning. Once the tickets are declared, the campaign will intensify.”
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Goa Mahila Congress President Beena Naik stated, ”As you said, South Goa is a Congress bastion. I believe the entirety of Goa –North and South, is a Congress bastion because 80 to 90 per cent of MLAs who are in the BJP today, are from the Congress.
Congress should have declared candidates by now: Ex-MLA Agnelo Fernandes
CALANGUTE: The Congress party is always late in deciding the candidates, former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes told reporters on Thursday. Fernandes, a former Congress MLA, said the Congress should have declared its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa by now so that they could start campaigning. He said the Congress had already finalised its two candidates, but the top leadership was misguided into delaying the announcement. “I don’t know who is advising the top leadership. They had already finalised two candidates, but now a third person has entered the fray,” he said referring to reports that Girish Chodankar, the former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), is seeking to be the South Goa candidate. “What Girish Chodankar is doing is wrong. He’s the man who has presided over the downfall of the Congress in Goa. These are people who cannot even win a panchayat election,” he said.
He said the Congress can also no longer depend on the Catholic voters in Salcete to blindly vote for them. “The Catholics in Salcete have traditionally voted for the Congress, but that is no longer the case,” he said.
“The Congress is not in the strong position that it once was in Goa. Most of its MLAs have left and joined the BJP. The days when the Congress would win irrespective of the candidate are over. Today the Congress is going down, and should introspect,” he said.
