TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Congress heavyweights, including sitting MP Francisco Sardinha, AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro and former chief ministers Churchill Alemao and Ravi Naik have been short-listed by the district Congress Committee for the South Goa ticket to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Sources in the know say the sitting MP has emerged as the front runner for the moment, as the district panel is believed to have maintained that Sardinha is the most suitable and winning candidate for the party ticket.
Sources in the know said the district panel, while recommending names of the four candidates to the PEC, have maintained that sitting MP is the most suitable and winning candidate amongst the lot.
When contacted, district Congress president Subhash Faldessai confirmed the district party panel has forwarded the names of four candidates, but declined to further comment on the matter.
It is learnt that the name of former Chief Minister Ravi Naik found a mention in the list of candidates after some executive members insisted his inclusion in the list. Observers in Congress circles say that the battle for the Congress ticket for South Goa has narrowed down between the sitting MP and the AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro. Ravi Naik, sources said, is unlikely to fit into the bill given the fact that the Congress has always nominated a minority candidate in South Goa and from the majority community in the North.
So far, the AICC general secretary has denied all reports of contesting the Lok Sabha polls from South Goa. He has on more than one occasion was categorical in stating that Congress leadership normally settle for a sitting MP unless there’s a adverse report on the performance of the MP. However, party insiders have not totally ruled out Faleiro’s candidature given his close proximity to the Congress leaders in Delhi, including the Gandhi family.
As far as Churchill is concerned, the former MP has staked his claim for the ticket for the South Goa seat. But, party leaders said the unfolding developments on the Portuguese citizenship tangle will have a bearing on Churchill’s claim for the ticket. Moreover, insiders say that the party may nominate Churchill in the event of a by-poll for the Benaulim Assembly seat.
