Herald: At a time when the opposition should unite and fight the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly elections, there were differences between you and senior party members on this. What’s your take on this?
Girish Chodankar: There were no differences nor do I have differences now with anyone within the party. Some senior members had expressed their views. Even after I had resigned I continued my party work. I don’t have any personal agenda and I have only party agenda.
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H: How is the Congress preparing for the 2022 Goa Assembly polls?
GC: We were earlier working in a conventional approach manner. But our senior leader P Chidambaram, who is now appointed as election observer for Goa has come out with a new idea of having active membership information card. In every constituency our workers will capture the data of active members. This exercise was not done seriously and now Chidambaram has introduced reforms and he is forcefully doing it. The moment this exercise is completed we will constitute all block committees and then focus on forming booth committees and start house-to-house campaigning with the aspirants from respective constituencies. There are several ways which we have lined up till the elections.
H: How soon do you plan to complete this exercise when elections are fast approaching?
GC: We plan to complete it by November-December so that we can launch other election campaign measures from January 2022 onwards.
H: BJP has already completed a first round of its campaign ahead of the polls. Don’t you foresee early polls?
GC: I have visited all 40 constituencies in the first round and subsequently our AICC in-charge Dinesh Rao visited most of the constituencies and now Chidambaram is touring various constituencies. In some constituencies it will be a third visit for me. We are interacting with the party workers. At the same time we are also prepared to face the elections if there are advanced.
H: With a majority of the electorate being young voters, what is the party’s strategy for the youth?
GC: Many prominent youth leaders are joining Congress. A few days ago former international footballer Alvito D’Cunha joined the party, while a former cricketer Avdhoot Amonkar is already appointed Quepem block president. We will streamline our frontal organisations and give them election-oriented work.
H: Youth Congress and Mahila Congress are demanding reservation of seats for them in the Assembly elections. Comment.
GC: There is no quota. But good candidates will definitely be given preference. But much will depend on active members of the respective block committees because they will now take decisions in most of the election related matters.
H: Is there any possibility of forging pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties?
GC: Right now we are focussing on all 40 constituencies. We are in the process of strengthening our organisation ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
H: If the people give a fractured mandate like in the 2017 elections, there will be compulsion for post-poll alliance. What will be the Congress stand in such a situation?
GC: It is precisely because of this that we are targeting to cross the magic figure of 21 seats. The way we receive feedback from the electorate we expect to win 26-27 seats this time and we may even cross that figure. People from various walks of life are joining the Congress party with the sole aim to defeat the BJP.
H: Congress has always been plagued by defections. What measures will the party take to stop defections?
GC: First of all we have closed the doors to defectors. This time we have taken full precautions to see that not a single elected Congress MLA will defect to another party. We have taken all safeguards. No elected party MLA will dare to betray the party and switch over to another party. If any of our MLAs betray the party, I can only tell you that he/she will have to retire from politics but we will not allow them to seek by-election. I can tell you this with 102 per cent.
H: How will the Congress deal with the dissent at the time of elections?
GC: This time rebels contesting the elections will be very few because everyone wants to defeat the BJP. We will unite all forces. People will also not encourage such rebels. This time it will be a fight between the Congress and BJP. In the 2017 polls, Congress lost four seats because of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who split votes and we could not cross the magic figure of 21 seats.
H: Congress aspirants always complain that the names of candidates are announced just a few days before filing of nomination papers. Will the names of candidates be announced two months before the elections?
GC: Right now we are not thinking on declaring candidates because our focus is on reorganisation in 40 constituencies. Our senior leader Chidambaram and election coordination committee will take a call on strategically what is the best at the appropriate time. But we will respect the sentiments of the aspirants that tickets be declared earlier.
H: Congress has faced electoral reverses in the last municipal and Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections. How does the party plan to reverse it now?
GC: Prior to the 2012 Assembly elections, Congress had won majority of municipal councils and also ZP polls. In 2017 elections it was different when we emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats. This shows that the voting pattern is different for elections to local-self bodies and Goa Assembly.
H: Post the 2017 elections, Congress failed to stake claim to form the government as it could not elect a CLP leader. Is the party projecting Chief Ministerial candidate?
GC: In 2017 after Congress emerged as the single largest party, we approached the regional parties for support. Our senior leaders including MP Rahul Gandhiji spoke to them. But they refused to give a letter of support to us and instead gave conditional letter of support to the BJP. The condition was that they will support BJP only if Manohar Parrikar is made the Chief Minister. But such a conditional letter of support could have been given to us but they did not do it. These regional parties also did not respect the mandate of the Goan electorate.
H: What will be the Congress party’s priority if voted back to power in 2022 elections?
GC: Congress government will immediately scrap the three controversial linear projects and land zone changes and will take measures to resume mining operations. The aspirations, wishes, will and direction of the people of Goa will be reflected in Congress election manifesto.
