With Luizinho out of fray, all eyes on BJP camp, Avertano

With Luizinho out of fray, all eyes on BJP camp, Avertano
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: With senior Congress leader and CWC member Luizinho Faleiro finally opting out of the race for the Navelim Congress ticket, all eyes are focused on the BJP camp and young Avertano Furtado who has disclosed his plans to contest against the PWD Minister Churchill Alemao in the coming polls.
“Though initially I was inclined in returning to local politics, Congress President Sonia Gandhi wants me in Delhi for the party work”, Faleiro said, even as he has left for the National Capital on Sunday in view of the Assembly polls in the North Eastern State of Manipur, where he is in charge as the party general secretary.
Faleiro’s absence in Navelim, perhaps for the first time in three decades, has shifted the focus back on the BJP camp and young Avertano Furtado. With PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao likely to get Congress nomination in Navelim, the BJP is still unclear on its stand in Navelim till date. For the moment, the BJP Navelim Mandal has recommended the names of three candidates, Sheikh Jina, Ulhas Tuemkar and Damu Naik as probable candidates to the party leadership for consideration.
But, it still remains unclear whether the BJP would field a candidate from the cadre or not and whether the party would field a Catholic candidate against the Congress candidate.
Sources in the know all these issues would be clear on January 3 when the party leadership is expected to take a final decision on the candidate for Navelim. In the 2007 polls, the BJP did not field its candidate on the party banner and successfully shifted its votes to Churchill Alemao to put an end to Luizinho Faleiro’s long political innings.
A senior party leader from Navelim admitted that the question of entering into a tacit understanding with an independent candidate a la 2007 polls has not yet been decided till date. “Hopefully, these and other questions will be decided on January 3”, he added.
On the other hand, Avertano Furtado has already launched his campaign by holding corner meetings across the constituency. He is believed to have received the support of the traditional Congress workers opposed to the PWD Minister in his campaign.