Team Herald
MARGAO: Congress Leader Sidhanath Buyao who had earlier announced that he would contest the Margao Municipal Council elections, today announced that in order to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party at bay, he was withdrawing and supporting the Margao Civic Alliance supported by the Congress and the Goa Forward Party and its panel for the upcoming Margao Municipal elections.
“Digambar Kamat is a senior leader and he must have given a lot of thought to forming this alliance and therefore I wholeheartedly support his move,” he said while appealing to others specially Congress members who have filed their nominations.
“Everybody desires to contest elections, but one has to see the larger picture and contesting just to defeat someone else does not make sense at least to me,” he said while agreeing that there is a urgent need for all those opposed to the BJP to come together.
Buyao stated “now more than ever is the time to be politically united, and with Team Goa, the BJP virus across the state would be defeated.” Addressing reporters, Siddhanath pointed out that he earlier considered contesting from ward 6 which covers the locality of Sonsoddo in Fatorda. Buyao said “but in the interest of defeating the BJP, I am sacrificing from contesting and I fully support Pravin Naik, the Fatorda Forward candidate for the MMC Polls.”
Sidhanath had announced his decision to contest from ward No. 6 and claimed to have even got Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar’s permission for it but admitted that he never discussed the matter with Digambar Kamat.
The former Congress spokesperson said that he trusts the leadership of Leader Of Opposition Digambar Kamat and GFP President Vijai Sardesai and believes that this alliance of unity represents the strength and vision of Team Goa. He called on all voters and citizens of Margao to vote the ‘Margao Civic Alliance’ as an “absolute need of the hour.”
Vijai Sardesai expressed his gratitude and welcomed Siddhanath Buyao’s statement on the call to unity in a tweet saying “the need of the hour is unity to oust the BJP, its panel & its candidates it has secretly put up! Dev Barem Korum to Siddhanath Buyao for expressing the predominant public sentiment in Goa and supporting our Fatorda Forward candidate Pravin Naik in Ward 6 and the Margao Civic Alliance for the upcoming MMC Polls.”
The GFP Chief said “we have brought to everyone’s attention the vision and commitment of Team Goa to ensure that political and social entities can unite to defeat the BJP. This is just the beginning of what Team Goa has to offer”. He added “the common principle is clear, we are together to save Goa now, and we will do all we can to ensure we liberate Goemkars from the anti-Goan BJP rule. I commend and welcome Siddhanath Buyao for embracing our pro-Goemkar alliance.”
On the way forward Buyao, replying to a question he said he would appeal to members of the Congress Party who have filed their nomination to withdraw the same and pointed out that he has two days to convince them. Two members of the Congress party including Fatorda Block Working President have already filed their nominations.
