PANAJI: Bringing an end to the ambiguity over forming an alliance to contest the February 4 state assembly election, Congress on Sunday announced the second list of candidates that includes Vasco and Benaulim constituencies.
However, a formal announcement by the Congress party that it will contest all the 40 seats on its own prowess is expected to be made on Tuesday when All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and Goa desk in-charge Digvijaya Singh addresses the media.
Congress has announced all new faces in the second list of candidates, taking the tally to 19 of the 34 candidates announced till now. The first list of 27 candidates had 12 new faces.
In a press release issued by AICC General Secretary Madhusudhan Mistry, the party has nominated Vijay Bhike for Mapusa, Joseph Sequeira for Calangute, Tony Fernandes for Santa Cruz, Fialho Xavier for Cumbharjua, Santosh Sawanth for Mayem, Saifullah Khan for Vasco and Edwin Barretto for Benaulim.
With the announcement of candidates in Vasco, Benaulim and Mapusa constituencies, Congress has ruled out the possibility of forming an alliance with any of the three parties – Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), United Goans Party (UGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP).
Sources, however, said that the Congress party is considering support to sitting MLAs Vijai Sardesai in Fatorda, Rohan Khaunte in Porvorim and Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate in Panaji.
Earlier, NCP had demanded Vasco and Benaulim, where the party would nominate Jose Philip D’Souza and Churchill Alemao, respectively. The GFP had announced that it would contest Mapusa constituency in the alliance.
Though AICC Secretary Girish Chodankar has maintained that an announcement on the alliance formation or seat sharing will be made by Goa desk in-charge, the declaration of the second list of candidates has given jitters to GFP and left the NCP red-faced.
Chodankar has already ruled out the claims of Monserrate that the Congress has advised UGP to contest in a ‘friendly fight’ in Cortalim with the Congress. He had also stated that the Congressmen have been asked to ‘be prepared to contest in all constituencies.’