MARGAO: Quepem MLA, Chandrakant Babu Kavalekar, who has been elected thrice in the last 15 years on a Congress ticket, has made overtures to MGP, making the Congress thinner in Goa.
This sudden shift of Babu has left all the Congress workers in Quepem totally puzzled. The MLA has claimed that he has been offered several times but has been quick to clarify that he has not taken any decision yet. However, Babu has gone one step ahead and said, “Being all the time in the Opposition bench does lots of injustice to the workers and I have to make sure my workers are not faced by any injustice. Coming to power then becomes a necessity and a need of the hour,” Babu said.
The MLA by making this statement has revealed the storm he has been going through, being on the opposition benches and that it is a tight rope walk for the leader all this time. Babu Kavalekar has been quick to add that he has not taken any decision on joining the MGP and has claimed himself as a strong Congress worker at present.
When asked Babu regarding the media reports on his overtures to MGP, he said “Babu leaving Congress and going to some other affiliation is definitely a benefit to the party, hence the effort to take me in,” claimed Babu.
Babu claimed that there are constant offers from MGP to me to get on board but he quickly added that this election, he will be working to get Congress back to power. Taking pot-shots at Congress, Babu said, “The constant intervention of the seniors and hierarchy and the rebellions need to stop to ensure Congress comes back to power”.
Babu said, “Being out of power for so long does lot of injustice to the voters and especially on the ambitions of getting Government jobs. Hence it becomes imperative to be in power.”
The MLA is now preparing for his 4th haul, virtually without any strong candidate from the ruling BJP. Prakash Arjun Velip who was fielded by the BJP in the last election had lost by over 7,000 votes to Babu. Now, Prakash Arjun Velip, former minister Prakash Shankar Velip, Yogesh Kunkolienkar, Amol Kanekar and the new AAP entrant Manuel Colaco are preparing for the elections. But the dreams of all the BJP hopefuls hang in mid air as Babu’s MGP entry will make him a candidate of the alliance reducing the hopes of all these to ashes.
Prakash Arjun Velip, who is the MGP ticket aspirant, has clarified that no talks of Babu Kavlekar entering MGP or any contact have been made till date.
