BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: In a move that belittles political party labels, the Nationalist Congress Party and its senior alliance partner in Goa, the Congress on Monday (March 30) cleared the name of former Congress MLA Jitendra Deshprabhu, to contest on the NCP symbol for the North Goa seat.
A joint communique from both the parties was however awaited announcing the candidature of Deshprabhu, whose birthday happens to be today.
NCP national spokesman DP Tripathi in Delhi declared Deshprabhu as the party’s candidate for North Goa seat even as the latter was yet to quit the Congress and join the Sharad Pawar-led party.
When contacted, Deshprabhu who is camping in Delhi told GT that both the parties - Congress and the NCP - would come together and find consensus on this issue.
Asked whether he had been ‘loaned’ to the NCP, Deshprabhu refused to comment, adding however, that both the parties had considered the ‘winnability’ factor in deciding on his candidature.
On Monday morning a meeting of leaders of both coalition partners was held at the Chief Minister’s official residence at Altinho. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, GPCC president Subhash Shirodkar, NCP state president Dr Wilfred de Souza, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco, Education Minister Babush Monserrate, and MLAs Agnelo Fernandes and Nilkant Halarnkar attended the meeting, where Deshprabhu’s candidature was unanimously endorsed, sources said.
After trooping out from the meeting, Dr de Souza said, the NCP will contest the North Goa seat.
He however, refused to divulge the candidate’s name and said the decision on the candidate will be taken by the NCP leaders in Delhi by Tuesday morning.
Deshprabhu found favour and pipped Nirmala Sawant, who had earlier been proposed by the NCP’s legislature wing and the three other MLAs -- Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and his brother Dipak -- who comprise the ‘bloc of six’ formed at the behest of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.
What went against Sawant is said to be the stiff opposition to her by the Congress which pointed that she had contested against the party twice, once with the support of the BJP.
PANJIM: In a move that belittles political party labels, the Nationalist Congress Party and its senior alliance partner in Goa, the Congress on Monday (March 30) cleared the name of former Congress MLA Jitendra Deshprabhu, to contest on the NCP symbol for the North Goa seat.
A joint communique from both the parties was however awaited announcing the candidature of Deshprabhu, whose birthday happens to be today.
NCP national spokesman DP Tripathi in Delhi declared Deshprabhu as the party’s candidate for North Goa seat even as the latter was yet to quit the Congress and join the Sharad Pawar-led party.
When contacted, Deshprabhu who is camping in Delhi told GT that both the parties - Congress and the NCP - would come together and find consensus on this issue.
Asked whether he had been ‘loaned’ to the NCP, Deshprabhu refused to comment, adding however, that both the parties had considered the ‘winnability’ factor in deciding on his candidature.
On Monday morning a meeting of leaders of both coalition partners was held at the Chief Minister’s official residence at Altinho. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, GPCC president Subhash Shirodkar, NCP state president Dr Wilfred de Souza, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco, Education Minister Babush Monserrate, and MLAs Agnelo Fernandes and Nilkant Halarnkar attended the meeting, where Deshprabhu’s candidature was unanimously endorsed, sources said.
After trooping out from the meeting, Dr de Souza said, the NCP will contest the North Goa seat.
He however, refused to divulge the candidate’s name and said the decision on the candidate will be taken by the NCP leaders in Delhi by Tuesday morning.
Deshprabhu found favour and pipped Nirmala Sawant, who had earlier been proposed by the NCP’s legislature wing and the three other MLAs -- Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and his brother Dipak -- who comprise the ‘bloc of six’ formed at the behest of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.
What went against Sawant is said to be the stiff opposition to her by the Congress which pointed that she had contested against the party twice, once with the support of the BJP.
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