NT Reporter
Ponda
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar on Monday said the Congress will contest the forthcoming Ponda byelection and win the seat by a huge margin, dismissing speculation surrounding the party’s candidate selection.
Patkar said the party remains focused on addressing issues affecting the people of Ponda, particularly the failure to provide adequate medical facilities at the Ponda sub-district hospital, despite the presence of four BJP-backed MLAs in the taluka.
Responding to speculation that the Congress might consider either senior Ponda leader Rajesh Verenkar or an “imported” candidate for the byelection, Patkar said the party is navigating internal discussions regarding election strategy and candidate selection.
He said that Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao and MP Viriato Fernandes, have been continuously raising the grievances of Ponda residents on the floor of the assembly. Patkar, however, played down questions related to the choice of candidate for the Ponda constituency.
The GPCC president said the party’s immediate focus is on strengthening the organisation in Ponda, while maintaining a firm stance against compromising in traditional Congress strongholds. Speculation continues over whether the Congress will attempt to draw a young leader from another party, who narrowly lost the last assembly election by a few votes and could otherwise have emerged victorious against the BJP. Congress Ponda leaders Rajesh Verenkar, Manisha Usgaonkar, Williams Aguiar and John Pereira were present at the press meet held at the Ponda Congress office.
