The Indian National Congress in Goa has still to come to grips with the ground reality if they are to rule the State in the near future. Having been out of power since October 2000 for well over 4 years and three months the veteran MLAs of the Party should have realised to maintain not a SEMBLANCE OF UNITY - either by show of hands or being photographed as brothers/sister in arms but by Unity wedded to the ideology of the oldest political party in India.
Having given ex CM Manohar Parrikar a decent burial atleast for the moment on 2nd February 2005 the first trouble started when Mr Jeetendra Deshprabhu missed the ministerial seat. He immediately retaliated and demanded his pound of flesh (though justifiedly for he had the maximum pressnotes against Parrikar regime whether they had merit or otherwise is academic). Then came the unfortunate Presidents rule which showed the INC in bad taste the High Command did not understand the ground realities home and poor Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane who was just enjoying the CM's throne for the 5th term --- actually this crown fell on his lap owing to the TINA factor (there is no alternative) with more leaders among the 15 elected members then followers -- every body wants the CM post) Then came another mixed opportunity the Zilla Parishad elections where the first past the post is the victor -- never mind the fact that in triangular or more contests their cummulative votes polled far exceeded the winning candidates votes. The INC claimed the ground swell was in their favour but ironically shied away from dissolution and fresh elections to the Legislative Assembly. Now came the shocking volte face and a grim reminder to the High Command that the INC in Goa is back at its old game --- too many leaders all stabbing behind the back. Last moment saw the man responsible for the Tsunami that swept the over 4 year old BJP led government getting his spouse a Panch of the VP Taleigao not only creating a record of sorts of getting elected to ZP unopposed but also being elected unopposed to the North Goa Zilla Panchayat, after Mr Atanasio (Babush ) Monserrate played his trump card at last moment --- "its either Jennifer or I quit the INC" and the magic did work . Mr Rajendra Gawade elected unopposed as Vice Chairperson. But the shocking part came today when the Alemaos (brothers the MP and MLA ) official choice Joe Dias whose candidtature for the South Goa ZP Chairperson was trounced by Curtorim ZP member Mr Reginald Lourenco filing his nomination contesting and getting elected this morning for the post of Chairperson of the South Goa ZP while Savita Kushali Velip of Fatorpa was elected Vice Chairperson. The North Goa Chairperson seat and the South Vice Chairperson seat is reserved for women. The message is loud and clear even assuming the INC wins the five seats for which bye elections to the Assembly constituencies are held with enough of infighting development will suffer in Goa. Therefore with todays development many voters who this writer contacted approved of dissolution of Assembly forthwith and called for fresh elections with a rider all the seasoned MLAs should be denied a ticket and young blood inducted --- a la Kamraj Plan --- where the then late Chief Minister Mr Kamraj adopted the strategy of senior politicians concentrating on party organisational build up leaving the legislature to their minions. After all the Party is above individuals and the Party policies alone can guide the elected representatives. Meanwhile the semblance of United Legislative Party consisting of INC NCP MGP and Independent seems to be given a decent burial--- for the NCP lone MLA Dr Wilfred Anthony De Souza has admitted that the ULP has no purpose of existence when the Assembly is under suspended animation and State under Presidents Rule. The reason is that he is keen on seeing that NCP contests the Benaulim seat with Francisco Mickey Pacheco as the candidate in the event a bye election is held. The UGDP has also staked its claim for seats it has contested in June 2002 and the MGP which has been partially revived from comatose has also threatened to contest in its strongholds viz Cumbarjua against the INC candidate Mr Pandurang Madkaikar. The BJP members are therefore having the last laugh obviously for their rise to power has been only due to the then MGP Executive Committee allowing its "lion" to be swallowed by the lotus and subsequently the infighting of the INC increasing its numbers and ultimate rule in the state since October 2000. With the BJP celebrating on 6th April their Silver Jubilee -25 years since formation with the L K Advani and Atal Behari Vajpayee at the helm of affairs (old Jan Sanghis( of which the present BJP has been carved )like Balraj Mahadhok have been unceremoniously cast into limbo) they can only rest assured that come fresh elections they can easily win 25 seats in the State Assembly majority in the Novas Conquistas and atleast six in the Velhas Conquistas. List of ZP members who will assume office PERNEM TALUKA 1 MANDREM Shridhar Ladu Mandrekar 2 CORGAO Dayanand Raghunath Sopte 3 DHARGALI Pradeep Shripad Patekar 4 TORXEM Supriya Sudan Mahale BARDEZ TALUKA 5 TIVIM Dnyaneshwar Rauji Kambli 6 ALDONA Freddy Francisco Fernandes 7 PENHA-DE-FRANCA Gupesh Shiva Naik 8 REIS-MAGOS Anjali Shrikant Malik 9 CALANGUTE Abelin Anthony Menezes 10 ANJUNA Amol Krishna Morajkar 11 SALIGAO Neeta Dharma Kandolkar 12 SIOLIM Dorothi Francis Fernandes TISWADI TALUKA 14 ST. CRUZ Lawrence Jacinto Azavedo 15 CHIMBEL Kishore Vithal Narvekar 17 CHORAO Dasharath Yadu Karmalkar 18 CUMBHAJUA Candolina Mateus Silveira BICHOLIM TALUKA 19 LATAMBERCEM Ramchandra Yashwant Gaonkar 20 MAEM Anant Vishnu Shet 21 PALE Pandurang Govind Sawant SATTARI TALUKA 22 SANQUELIM Shubhada Mohandas Sawaikar 23 HONDA Suman Ramnath Gawas 24 NAGARGAO Ladu Laximan Harvalkar PONDA 25 CURTI Kalidas Kamal Khandeparker 26 TIVREM Sitaram Mukund Gaude 27 VELING Rajendra Tukaram Gawade 28 BANDORA Naresh Krishna Gaude 29 QUEULA Manuja Pandurang Naik 30 SHIRODA Sumati Dinanath Naik MORMUGAO TALUKA 1 SANCOALE VASANT SAHADEV NAIK 2 CORTALIM AVELINA FILIPE D`SA SALCETE TALUKA 3 NUVEM REMEGIO PIEDADE JOSE FRANCISCO FERNANDES 4 RAIA DOMNIC MINGUEL GAONKAR 5 DAVORLIM ATUL KRISHNA VERLEKAR 6 CURTORIM ALEIXO REGINAIDO LOURENCO 7 GUIRDOLIM CLAFASIO JOCKY DIAS 8 CHINCHINIM JOSEPH ASIS DIAS 9 VELIM VEENA CIPRIANO CARDOZO 10 NAVELIM FILOMENA (FULA) EGAS COUTINHO 11 BENAULIM MARIA JOAO REBELLO 12 COLVA NELLY JOY RODRIGUES SANGUEM TALUKA 13 SANVORDEM PRADEEP TUKARAM DESSAI 14 DHARBANDORA GOVINDA VITHAL SAWANT QUPEM TALUKA 15 RIVONA SUVARANA RADHAKRISHNA ZAMBAULIKAR 16 XELDEM ROSARIO MARIAN FERNANDES 17 BALLI SUBHASH UTTAM PHAL DESSAI 18 FATORPA SAVITA KUSHALI VELIP CANACONA TALUKA 19 COLA PRATIKSHA LAXMAN GAUNKAR 20 POINGUINIM DAYA TUKO PAGUI GODFREY J I GONSALVES Borda Margao Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! 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