Vijai Sardesai’s GFP faces the electoral heat as TMC fields RS MP Luizinho Faleiro from Fatorda

Strains in ties showing in Congress-GFP alliance as Goa assembly polls near  

@the_news_21

Mumbai: The electoral heat has surely turned on Vijai Sardesai and his Goa Forward Party (GFP) in the forthcoming Goa Assembly election as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) deciding to field its Rajya Sabha MP and former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro from the Fatorda constituency.

The GFP leader, a two-time MLA from Fatorda, now faces stiff competition in the polls on February 14. The TMC had declared its first list of 11 candidates late Tuesday which also includes former chief minister Churchill Alemao from Benaulim constituency and his daughter Valanka Alemao from Navelim constituency. 

Vijai Sardesai’s GFP has tied up with the Congress for the Goa assembly polls. In the 2017 Goa assembly polls the GFP had emerged as a ‘kingmaker’ after the election results threw up a hung assembly. The backing of the three GFP MLAs had been critical in helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) form the government under the late chief minister Manohar Parrikar. 

However, this time, despite seemingly successful parleys with the TMC two months ago, the GFP had done a complete U-turn at the last minute to instead ally with the Congress. According to observers, this upset the TMC, which is aiming to chastise Sardesai by fielding a strong candidate in the form of Faleiro. 

Meanwhile, strains in ties have also developed between the GFP and the Congress, after the latter announced candidates for the Saint Andre and Canacona seats, despite being reportedly ‘claimed’ by the GFP.  

In fact, the GFP had already begun campaigning for the St. Andre seat more than a week ago. Hours after the Congress announced its candidate for St. Andre, the GFP’s probable candidate Jagdish Bhobhe hopped on to the TMC bandwagon, which promptly fielded him from the same seat. 

GFP vice-president Dilip Prabhudesai expressed regret that the Congress had failed to honour its commitment as an ally of the GFP given that the GFP’s seat-sharing demands had always been very reasonable. 

He remarked further, “We are disappointed. We expected the Congress party to stand by its commitment. However, we do not wish to react immediately. We will wait and watch their moves because our aim is to defeat the Pramod Sawant-led BJP.” 

Meanwhile, the Congress announced its fourth list of candidates on Wednesday. 

The list includes five candidates including Delilah Lobo, the wife of ex-BJP Minister Michael Lobo, who has been given the ticket for the Siolim constituency.  The BJP top leadership’s denial of ticket to Delilah Lobo from the Siolim seat was the prime reason for her husband’s exit from the saffron party. 

Another significant name in the Congress list is that of Moreno Rebello, who has been fielded from Curtorim which was held by ex-Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.  Reginaldo, who had left the Congress for the TMC despite the former already having awarded him a ticket in the first list, had quit the TMC earlier this week. 

The Congress’ announcement of Rebello as its Curtorim candidate means that the party has shut the door for Lourenco’s re-entry in keeping with its hardline on defectors.