TMC, Cong, AAP release separate candidate lists for Goa; tie-up ruled out

The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced separate lists of candidates for the Goa assembly elections, putting to rest speculation over a grand opposition alliance to fight the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress named nine candidates, TMC 11 and AAP five.

The Congress party announced its third list of candidates for the polls that includes Michael Lobo, former minister in the Pramod Sawant led BJP government. Lobo will contest from the Calangute constituency that he has represented since 2012.

The list also includes former MLA Prasad Gaonkar (Sanguem), who was elected as an independent in 2017 but resigned in recent weeks and joined the Congress, and Lavu Mamledar, a former lawmaker from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) who joined the TMC but later quit the party and joined the Congress. Mamledar will contest from Marcaim against MGP supremo Ramkrishna “Sudin” Dhavalikar.

Interestingly, the Congress has also announced a candidate (Anthony Fernandes) for the San André constituency, a seat that was being keenly eyed by its alliance partner the Goa Forward Party, whose candidate Jagdish Bhobe has already begun campaigning.

Others on the list include Meghashyam Raut (Bicholim), Aman Lotlikar (Tivim), Vikash Prabhudessai (Porvorim), Dharmesh Saglani (Sanquelim), who will take on Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, and Janardan Bhandari (Canacona).

So far, the party has declared candidates for 28 out of Goa’s 40 assembly seats. The party has conceded two seats to the Goa Forward Party, with the latter haggling with its ally for a third seat at San André.

Besides Lobo, the names of his wife Delilah, who is keen on contesting the Siolim constituency, and his aide Kedar Naik from the Saligao constituency, are yet to feature in the party’s list of candidates.

Several crucial constituencies remain to be announced, including capital Panaji and Aldona in north Goa, and Benaulim, Velim and Nuvem in south Goa, among others.

“Let us work together to bring back @INCGoa Government in Goa. Let us work hand in hand to Protect Identity of Goa,” leader of opposition Digambar Kamat tweeted.

The decision of the Congress to field its own candidate in the San André constituency has prompted Jagdish Bhobe to resign from the Goa Forward Party and join the TMC. By evening, Bhobe became the TMC’s candidate for the constituency as part of the first list of candidates declared.

The TMC’s list includes former Goa chief ministers Churchill Alemão (Benaulim), and recently elected Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro, who will contest against Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai.

Alemão’s daughter Valanka will be the party’s candidate from Navelim that until recently was represented by Faleiro. Other names on the list include Sandeep Vazarkar (Porvorim), Kiran Kandolkar (Aldona), Samil Volvoikar (Cumbarjua), Ganpat Gaonkar (Poriem), Gilbert Rodrigues (Cortalim), José Cabral (Nuvem) and Jorson Fernandes (Cortalim).

The party also announced the setting up of its state executive committee that will be headed by Kiran Kandolkar. The TMC was earlier angling for an alliance with the Congress, overtures that were rejected by the Congress.

Besides the Congress and TMC, the AAP too announced its fourth list of candidates, taking the total number of its candidates to 30.

The AAP announced the names of Lincoln Vaz (Margao), Nonu Naik (Priol), Gabriel Fernandes (Curchorem), Raul Pereira (Quepem) and Manoj Ghadi Amonkar (Sanquelim), while extending support to Chandrakant Shetye, a probable candidate who has been offered a ticket by both the Congress and the BJP.

The party has announced that it will be going it alone in the polls, but that it was open to a post-poll alignment with non-BJP parties in the event that such an arrangement is necessitated after the results are declared.

Goa goes to the polls on February 14 to elect members to its legislative assembly. The counting will be held on March 10.