DECCAN HERALD Saturday, May 4, 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Cong faces resistance to Goa poll alliance with NCP
Parrikar says Cong its own worst enemy Devika Sequeira DH News Service PANAJI, May 3 Plans for a seats adjustment between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Goa has met with stiff resistance from the majority of Congress leaders and workers here, who have given the proposal an outright thumbs down. The NCP had officially asked for 15 seats (out of 40) from the alliance, though sources in the party said they were willing to settle for 10. But Congress' pradesh Election Committee (PEC) members said that most of it= s leaders and workers felt the Congress being in a far superior position, stood to gain little from the adjustment. "That apart, by and large, the leaders and workers felt that the degree of distrust between the two partie= s was such, that the NCP could not be trusted to pull out its unofficial candidates from Congress strongholds," a PEC member said. The issue is now to be resolved by the party's central leadership, sources said. A heated PEC meeting here last night attended by AICC secretary Ramesh Chennithala, also failed to finalise the list of Congress candidates or resolve the contentious issue of denying party tickets to defectors. Over a dozen defectors have once again emerged as strong contenders for Congress tickets. Mr Chennithala, PEC chairman Luizinho Faleiro and PCC president Nirmala Sawant who left for Delhi to discuss the matter with with AICC president Sonia Gandhi, are expected to return with a final list by Monday, the day when filing of nominations begins for the May 30 poll. The BJP's Central Election Committee too will meet tonight in the presence of Prime Minister A B Vajpyee to finalise candidates and discuss the party'= s Goa strategy, according to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Mr Parrikar, who denied that he was financing the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP), which is the Congress' main opposition in Catholic-dominated constituencies, said the Congress was its own worst enemy. The BJP chief minister was referring to recent erruptions of Congress factional feuds in South Goa constituencies like Navelim, Benaulim and Curtorim, which have consistently returned Congress leaders like Luizinho Faleiro, Churchill Alemao and Francisco Sardinha. Mr Sardinha, in particular, has been the target of protests from Congress district and block committees in his constituency who are opposed to his candidature for his 1999 defection from the party. ------------------------------------------------------------------- =A9 Copyright, 1999 The Printers (Mysore)Ltd. [E-mail to Editor] [Main Page..Text Version] [Main Page..Graphic Version] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
