MARGAO: The Nuvem Zilla Panchayat constituency will witness a straight fight between South Goa ZP Vice-Chairperson Wilfred D’Sa and his challenger, Verna panch member Marcelinho Faria. While Wilfred is seeking re-election as an Independent candidate, his challenger has thrown his hat in the ring on the Mickky Pacheco-led Goa Vikas Party banner.
But, welcome to the constituency, where the electoral contest has been virtually reduced to a battle royal between GVP supremo Mickky Pacheco and his friend-turned-challenger Wilfred. In fact, the election campaign in Nuvem had begun much before the process for filing of nomination papers had started. The reason is not far too seek. Wilfred alias Babashan has firmly set his eyes on Nuvem Assembly constituency – a seat represented by the GVP supremo.
Both Mickky and Wilfred are leaving no stone unturned to take the battle in the enemy camp in what is billed as a semi-final round before the summit clash between the two political arch rivals in 2017.
“We have already won the quarter final round against the GVP supremo in the Loutolim panchayat by-election. I am confident that people of Nuvem will support me to win the semi-final in the ensuing election so that I take on Mickky in the 2017 Assembly polls”, Wilfred said, making no bones of his decision to contest the coming Assembly election.
Mickky, on the other hand, says the people of Nuvem will show his rival his true place in the coming polls. “He (Wilfred) was always over ambitious and it came as no surprise to me when he left the GVP to support the Congress in the Lok Sabha poll. I am equally ready to face him in the ensuing election as well as in the 2017 Assembly polls”, Mickky asserted
Both the camps have resorted to mudslinging in the ongoing election campaign, with accusations flying thick and thin at corner meetings held across the constituency.
While Mickky has raised questions over the works undertaken by Wilfred in his five-year-old tenure, Wilfred has hit back saying the local MLA has stooped to low levels in a bid to score some brownie points against him.
The Nuvem ZP constituency comprises of the villages of Nuvem, Verna and Nagoa with around 14,000 voters. While nearly half the electorate is concentrated in Nuvem village, the remaining voters are spread in Nagoa and Verna villages.
The GVP supremo had been literally hopping from one constituency to another in support of the party candidates, but he makes it a point not to ignore Nuvem as he knows for sure the stakes are high not just for his party and candidate, but for him
personally.
