Congress under pressure to field Muslim candidates

Congress is in a tight spot over Muslims’ demand for party nominations. Though Muslim leaders have demanded nominations from key constituencies, some held by ministers, Chief Minister told Guilherme Almeida that high command would decide on the issue.
Demands emanating from Muslim organizations for nominations (tickets) for the community to contest the March 3 Goa Assembly polls seems to have put the Congress leadership in a tight spot.
That a wary Congress leadership has preferred not to comment on the Muslim ticket/s issue, indicates that the party is treading a cautious path so as not to antagonize the minority community on the eve of the polls.
For, the Muslim community has a sizeable presence in more than half of the eight Assembly constituencies in Salcete and no Congress leader can ill afford to loose the support of this section of voters to win the polls.
If the Muslim presence is sizeable in Margao and Navelim represented by Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat and Churchill Alemao respectively, the community has its own sphere of influence in neighbouring Fatorda, Curtorim, Cuncolim and Velim as well.
Says Congress minority cell Convenor Urfan Mulla, “The Muslim community has always stood by Congress during elections. In recent times, Muslims had no representation in the Legislative assembly to highlight issues plaguing the community. We have demanded minimum four seats for the community, but it is sad that the Party has so far no plans to nominate even one member of the community to contest the coming polls”.
Mulla’s sentiments are echoed by many a Muslim leaders, though differences have surfaced within the community over the choice of the constituency. While constituencies such as Margao, Ponda and Navelim – which has a significant Muslim population – have sitting MLAs in Chief Minister, Home Minister and PWD Minister – many a Congress Muslim leader is believed to be lobbying hard for tickets in Fatorda and Mormugao, eyed by GPCC general secretary Vijai Sardessai and former GPYC Chief Sankalp Amonkar respectively.
When contacted, Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat said it is purely for the Congress party leadership in New Delhi to take a call on the issue. “In Margao, I have managed to solve the decades old Kabrastan issue. As far as the tickets are concerned, it is purely for the party high command to decide”, he said.
But, Kamat and other leaders are equally aware that the party cannot afford to alienate the Muslim community, since hectic moves are on behind the scenes to field Muslim candidates in certain key constituencies where the community has a sizeable presence.