Team Herald
PANJIM: The Lok Sabha elections and bypolls for three Assembly seats in the State will be held on April 23, as per the announcement on Sunday by the Election Commission of India.
The State will go for by-elections in Mandrem, Shiroda and Mapusa assembly constituencies.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) became the first political outfit to announce its candidates for the Parliamentary polls. While its State chief Elvis Gomes will fight for South Goa seat, Pradeep Padgaonkar is their candidate for North. The party is yet to declare its stand on by-polls.
On the other hand, the two major political parties – BJP and Congress are yet to zero on their candidates for either of the elections.
It is most likely that BJP will retain both its sitting MPs Shripad Naik in North and Narendra Sawaikar in South; even as the official announcement is yet to be made. As far as by-elections are concerned, the party will field Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda), Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) while the race for Mapusa ticket is hotting up with son of former MLA and Minister Francis D’Souza – Joshua D’Souza, close aid of CM Manohar Parrikar- Rupesh Kamat, Sudhir Kandolkar amongst the contenders.
BJP general secretary Sadanand Tanawade said that the candidates for Lok Sabha and by elections would be announced from Delhi and that the process will now begin. “We are yet to shortlist the candidates. The Election committee will be formed which will recommend the names for all the seats including that for by-election,” he said.
The Congress party, on the other hand, has shortlisted candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. The five candidates are party president Girish Chodankar, Mahila Congress chief Adv Pratima Coutinho, former Union Minister Ramakant Khalap, ex MP Francisco Sardinha and member and activist Adv Cleofato Almeida Coutinho.
The signs are clear that the party will field Mahadev Naik in Shiroda while for Mapusa and Mandrem, their stand is yet to be known.
“The screening Committee meeting of AICC was held today. The names are shortlisted for Lok Sabha seat. The announcement would be made in next five to ten days. Our process is almost complete,” Chodankar said.
“As far as candidates for by election are concerned, they will be selected and announced from Goa itself. That process is also on,” he informed.
What is going to be interesting is the clash between alliance partners in the ruling-BJP and MGP, who has already announced their President Dipak Dhavalikar as their candidate from Shiroda while they have said that they will be contesting in Mandrem and Mapusa by-elections too.
“We have already announced our candidate in Shiroda. The Central committee of the party will meet next week to decide on fielding candidates for Mandrem and Mapusa,” Dhavalikar said.
He said that party will also decide whether they are contesting Lok Sabha elections or not.
Another ally in Government, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) has made it clear that they will not be fielding any candidates but are with the State government.
