Team Herald
PANJIM: The demise of former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar has not just created a void in the BJP but even the Congress, is now searching for a candidate who could pose a challenge to the BJP in the capital represented by Parrikar for almost 25 years.
The notification to the Lok Sabha polls and the by-elections will be issued on Thursday, March 28. However, whether the Panjim by-polls too will be announced, will be known once the notification has been issued.
Nevertheless, ever since the health of late Parrikar began deteriorating, politicians and aspirants from the capital began to contemplate their fortunes in the post-Parrikar era.
Former mayor and Corporator Surendra Furtado began his social media canvassing more than two months ago. He began posting messages and posters with the tagline, ‘Surendra for Panjim, Panjim for Surendra’.
Recently, before he was nominated to contest the Lok Sabha, Girish Chodankar had said that he would contest the Panjim by-polls if the party decided as he is a loyal soldier of the Congress.
Commenting on Girish’s statement, Surendra had said “I wholly welcome the statement of Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar on his contemplating to contest in the upcoming Panjim assembly by-poll and offer him my unstinted support in this endeavour. However if Girish bab decides to contest the parliamentary polls, then I am ready to contest in Panjim against any opposition party candidate if my congress party reposes faith in me and asks me to contest the by-poll.”
A few days later, former mayor Yatin Parekh too announced that he would be willing to contest the by-polls as the Congress candidate. In a media statement, he said “I humbly offer my candidature to contest the upcoming assembly elections for the prestigious Panjim constituency from the Congress party. As you all know, I have been a grass root worker and have been associated with the party for many years, having worked sincerely on party campaigns and responsibly handled various positions and roles which have been entrusted to me from time to time.”
Parekh had contested unsuccessfully against late Parrikar in 2012 and lost by a margin 6068 votes during the elections.
Another name making the rounds in the Congress circles is the Congress Panjim Block president Prasad Amonkar. He is yet to make a debut in electoral politics and if nominated would be contesting elections for the first time.
Though he has not found favour amongst the senior party leaders across the state, youth within the Panjim Congress had begun to promote him as their leader for the upcoming by-polls. However, lack of political experience could lead him to pave way to others.
Another name propped up by certain residents of Panjim is that of former Customs Dy Commissioner Tony Dias, though he is not a member of the Congress party.
But the one surprising name within the Congress circles being discussed is the Taleigao heavyweight and former Congress MLA and currently the Vice-President of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate.
Babush had last week announced that he would resign from GFP and contest the Panjim by-polls as an Independent candidate. When asked about contesting or seeking Congress support, he said “I will be contesting as an Independent and Congress is welcome to support me.”
Babush who had contested unsuccessfully against former BJP MLA Siddharth Kunkalienkar in the general Assembly elections in 2017, did not contest the by-polls against late Parrikar in August 2017.
Congress, which has not been able to stop the late Parrikar’s juggernaut, for more than 2 decades, now faces an upheaval task in choosing a candidate against Parrikar’s elder son Utpal Parrikar; who is the front runner for the BJP’s ticket in Panjim constituency by-polls.
