Elections family affair for Congress in Goa

The Congress has been trying to strictly enforce a ‘one ticket per family’ policy in Punjab, but for Goa the rules are quite different.

In its list of candidates for Goa, announced on Thursday, former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane and son Vishwajeet have bagged the Congress tickets from Poriem and Valpoi Assembly constituencies, respectively. Similarly, Chandrakant Kavalekar and his wife Savitri have been fielded from Quepem and Sanguem Assembly seats, respectively.

The Congress is contesting the February 4 Assembly elections in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and regional outfits Goa Forward and United Goans.

The Congress announced a list of 27 candidates for the 40-member Assembly, leaving the scope for seat adjustments with its allies.

While Jennifer Monserrate is the Congress candidate from Taleigao, husband Antanasio alias Babush Monserrate will be contesting the Panjim seat on the United Goans ticket.
Babush’s aide and former MLA Francisco Silveria will contest on the Congress ticket from St Andre constituency.

Ironically, in the 2012 Assembly elections, the Congress had clamped down on tickets to relatives. Vishwajeet had to contest as an Independent candidate then.

Former chief ministers Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro are in the fray from Ponda, Margao and Navelim, respectively.

Former minister Filipe Nery Rodrigues will contest from Velim and former Goa Congress chief Subhash Shirodkar will represent Siroda.

The NCP is expected to field Jose Philip D’souza from Vasco and former minister Churchill Alemao from Benaulim.

In Punjab, state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said the party would give only one ticket per family. The Congress had announced Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s name for the Amritsar East Assembly seat. But she said her husband, former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, would contest the polls instead.