Joaquim excuses self from party’s Sunday campaign meeting
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: A sulking Joaquim Alemao is unlikely to attend Congress’ meeting at Cuncolim scheduled on Sunday, as independent MLA Vijai Sardessai undertook a fire-fighting mission in Cuncolim to bring warring Congress groups and independents from the constituency under the Congress banner in support of Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
While former Cuncolim MLA and Urban Development Minister swears by the Congress promising to work for the Congress nominee, Joaquim, however, has excused himself from attending the Sunday meeting of the Congress in Cuncolim on medical grounds. But sources close to Alemao said the two-time MLA is hurt and agitated at being ignored by the party leadership vis-a-vis the ensuing Lok Sabha poll. Joaquim has told party leadership that he was the only former MLA who was not invited by the Congress candidate to join the party leaders before the Returning Officer at the time of filing of nomination papers. He has also briefed the party leadership that he and his group are not being taken into confidence by the local leadership.
Though down and out, Joaquim and Churchill still enjoy sizeable clout in Cuncolim constituency. And it is against this background that Vijai Sardessai undertook a fire fighting mission with the hope of uniting various Congress groups under one banner. Earlier, Sardessai had undertaken mission to garner the support of John Monteiro under the banner of Goemkar. A section of Congressmen are opposed to Monteiro’s entry into the Congress, as they hold him responsible for playing spoilsport to Joaquim’s election by contesting the 2012 assembly polls as an independent candidate.
Sources said the independent MLA managed to bring the various groups under one banner, including CMC Chairperson Devendra Desai, Paresh Desai, Moti Desai, Block president Assis Noronha, Cleofacio Dias, Derrick Braganza, besides John Monteiro. With each group uncomfortable to work with the other, the Congress leadership has mooted a plan to involve all the groups together to unitedly work for the party candidate.
Cuncolim has been a Congress bastion over the yearsBut the Lotus blooming in Cuncolim for the first time in the 2012 assembly poll and Trinamool Congress candidate Churchill Alemao making a bid to make inroads, the party leadership is trying to tie all loose ends in its once traditional stronghold to ensure Reginaldo takes a comfortable lead.
