Five members step down as Girish returns to Congress

Panaji: Girish Chodankar’s return as state Congress president has upset the party’s internal equations. Since his appointment as Amit Patkar’s replacement, more than five party functionaries have stepped down, casting a cloud over Chodankar’s new stint.In a bid to stem the tide, the party announced a series of organisational changes.Himanshu Tivrekar has been appointed as the convenor of the social media department while Glenn Cabral has been given charge as convenor of the Cumbarjua block. The incumbents for the two posts had put in their papers protesting Patkar’s removal. The party also appointed Suryakant Gawade as convenor of the Sankhalim Block.The party’s general secretary Manisha Usgaonkar, Congress social media cell chairperson J Manch and social media coordinator Sharmila Siddique resigned soon after the change. On Sunday, Pelajia Jewet Pires, the chairperson of the party’s Jawahar Bal Manch resigned.Pires said that he had resigned because of Chodankar’s “abuse and threats of removal” for taking an ideological stand on the prevailing political situation in Goa.“I find little space for democratic values, dissent, and genuine women’s empowerment within the present functioning of the organisation. The patriarchal approach adopted by certain sections of the leadership has left me questioning the commitment to the very principles of democracy, inclusiveness, respect, and equality that the party professes to uphold,” said Pires.Chodankar, along with the party’s working president M K Shaikh chaired a review meeting on Sunday to assess the party’s roadmap going into the 2027 Goa assembly elections. They discussed strategies to expand the party’s reach to the voters base.