Sardinha air dashes to Delhi

TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The deadlock over the Congress nominee persisted for the third day on Saturday even as sitting Congress MP Francisco Sardinha air dashed to the national capital today to take stock of the delay in announcing the party candidate for the south Goa seat.
Sardinha was holed up in Delhi on Saturday, but is believed to have received no indication from the party leadership about his candidature. Sources said the Congress leaders were huddled in a meeting this evening, but nothing has been decided yet with regards to the south Goa seat.
With no clear indication forthcoming from the party leadership in Delhi, the sitting MP is expected to return home on Sunday to be with his supporters and close aides.
Sardinha’s decision to air dash to Delhi assumes significance given that the central party leadership has been dilly dallying in announcing the candidate for south Goa, even though initial indications were that the sitting MP would be re-nominated for the seat.
Sources say that the AICC General Secretary in-charge of Goa desk Digvijaya Singh was out of the national capital and was expected to return to Delhi later in the evening.  Moreover, sources say that most of the leaders may leave for their native places for Holi celebrations on Monday.
Though GPCC chief John Fernandes has told Sardinnha’s close aides and supporters that his name stands cleared by the central leadership, despondency has set in the sitting MP’s camp over the delay.
While the Congress campaign in south Goa has hit a block, with the party leaders and workers waiting for the declaration of candidate, party leaders in private are questioning the reasoning of the central party leadership to delay declaring the candidate with less than a month to go for the April 12 poll. “ In politics, there are a large number of voters sitting on the fence. It is this section of the electorate who may drift away from the Congress if the deadlock continues. We have to hit the campaign trail as early as possible”, remarked a senior Congress leader from south Goa.