Sardesai has decided to field 12 candidates while Kamat has already finalized 11 candidates. With NGOs propping up candidates and some social workers too entering the fray, the stakes in the elections have risen high.

Surprisingly, both MLAs have decided to keep a distance from each other and fight individually.

Speaking to Herald Sardesai said, “We have thought to unite the progressive Fatordakaar’s and field a panel in the name of ‘Fatorda Forward’ to have a progressive Fatorda in the MMC for the coming five years. We plan to give representation to all classes of society.”

“We will keep development the main agenda and the people who have shamed themselves in the past will be kept away and fresh faces will be infused believing that people will support them,” Sardesai added. He plans to announce the candidates in the coming days.

Sardesai took a dig at the government calling the delimitation a ‘mess’ that has made selecting candidates more difficult.

Questioned on plans for wards in Margao constituency Sardesai said, “The Margao MLA is already there. I don’t want to create any confusion. People have approached me for support in Margao. By getting into some forbidden territory there has been a mess created and I don’t want to further muddy the waters by entering the same territories.”

For the first time since the Louis Berger case came up Kamat made a statement on his plans for the upcoming elections. “We are holding consultations with our Congress workers and are hopeful of revealing the names of the candidates in a couple of days. We won’t interfere in Fatorda wards as the Fatorda MLA has already planned to go ahead with our Councillor Tito Cardozo and some others,” Kamat said.

Sources, however, suggested that the traditional Kamat soldiers Damu Shirodkar, Rosy Pereira, Sushila Naik, Dorris Texeira and others have already been finalised and the selection of the remaining is underway.