The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is learnt to have started the process to replace GPCC president Girish Chodankar, ahead of upcoming Assembly elections. Former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and former minister Aleixo Sequeira are frontrunners for the post.
AICC Goa in charge Dinesh Rao has also given indications of a re-jig in the State party organisation.
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Chodankar has resigned twice as party president but was asked to continue in the post till new arrangements were made. Besides, Faleiro and Sequeira, some office-bearers want Lok Sabha MP Francisco Sardinha, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat or Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco to head the party.
One faction of the GPCC office-bearers is strongly favouring Faleiro to take over the party reins and lead the party in the 2022 Assembly elections, pointing out that the party emerged as the single largest winning 17 seats in 2017 polls when Faleiro was the president, although it failed to form the government. They still feel that only Faleiro can strengthen the organisation and lead the party for the next elections.
However, Chodankar’s supporters claim that some office-bearers are trying to replace Chodankar, who according to them, is opposed to a pre-poll alliance with any political party and also opposed to readmitting some of the rebel MLAs who are attempting to return.
The opposition to Chodankar appears to be because of his stand during the CCP and municipal elections. They are accusing Chodankar for not campaigning for party members, who contested the Margao Municipal Council elections and also for maintaining silence when Kamat and Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai announced an alliance of the candidates supported by them.
They stated that Sardinha backed the party members who contested the municipal elections, while Chodankar took a stand that the elections were not fought on party lines though he campaigned for members who contested the CCP polls. The office-bearers are also questioning whether the Congress party flag was now flying atop the Margao Municipal Council or if it is of some other party?
How come Chodankar went to Margao councillor Ghanasyham Shirodkar and pacified him after he expressed his displeasure at Kamat over the selection of councillor for the chairperson’s post? they asked.
