PANAJI: After being mired in indecision for over a month, the Congress party bit the bullet and announced the names of its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held on May 7 in Goa. The Congress party picked former union minister Ramakant Khalap for North Goa and Kargil war veteran Capt Viriato Fernandes for the South Goa seat.
The party’s Central Election Committee met with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal in Delhi, Khalap and Fernandes were cleared to take on the BJP in the polls.
Opposition leader Yuri Alemao and state party in charge Amit Patkar were present for the meeting along with Goa desk in charge Manikrao Thakare.
For the North Goa seat, the party chose Khalap after toying with the option of fielding state party office bearers Vijai Bhike and Sunil Kawthankar.
Khalap will try to wrest control of the North Goa seat from five time North Goa MP Shripad Naik, but this is an uphill task says poll pundits. Naik, who is the minister of state for Tourism, has already begun his campaign for the elections with the hopes of returning to the Lok Sabha for his sixth term.
Meanwhile, Fernandes will take on industrialist Pallavi Dempo, who is the first woman MP candidate to be named by the BJP. Dempo, who is the director of the Dempo Group, was the surprise pick for the BJP. The Congress party feels that Fernandes has a better chance at challenging the BJP in South Goa, which is traditionally seen as the Congress stronghold.
The party’s Central Election Committee met with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal in Delhi, Khalap and Fernandes were cleared to take on the BJP in the polls.
Opposition leader Yuri Alemao and state party in charge Amit Patkar were present for the meeting along with Goa desk in charge Manikrao Thakare.
For the North Goa seat, the party chose Khalap after toying with the option of fielding state party office bearers Vijai Bhike and Sunil Kawthankar.
Khalap will try to wrest control of the North Goa seat from five time North Goa MP Shripad Naik, but this is an uphill task says poll pundits. Naik, who is the minister of state for Tourism, has already begun his campaign for the elections with the hopes of returning to the Lok Sabha for his sixth term.
Meanwhile, Fernandes will take on industrialist Pallavi Dempo, who is the first woman MP candidate to be named by the BJP. Dempo, who is the director of the Dempo Group, was the surprise pick for the BJP. The Congress party feels that Fernandes has a better chance at challenging the BJP in South Goa, which is traditionally seen as the Congress stronghold.
