Goa: Congress announces 21 candidates for zilla panchayat polls

PANAJI

: The Congress on Monday announced the names of 21 candidates for the March 22 zilla panchayat (ZP) elections.

Political commentators said that quite a few names, like that of AAP’s

Benaulim

candidate for the 2017 assembly polls, Royla Fernandes, who had emerged as a strong contender, and NCP MLA

Churchill Alemao

’s close supporter Jose Santa Rita Coelho, are likely to raise eyebrows among political circles.

Royla will contest from Benaulim and Coelho from Navelim

Among the other key names announced by state Congress president Girish Chodankar, former Mandrem sarpanch

Mahesh Konadkar

also stands out. Konadkar, who returned to the party fold just a few days earlier, will contest from the Morjim constituency.

“Our main target is to defeat the BJP. So if we find that there is a stronger candidate in a seat and our candidate is weak, then to defeat the BJP we are ready to back the stronger candidate,” Chodankar said.

In Curtorim, the Congress has decided to nominate Michelle Rebello, wife of sitting ZP member, Moreno.

In North Goa, the party has picked Narayan Redkar for

Arambol

, Satish Chodankar for Colvale, Lawrence Silveira for Calangute, Shiny Emelde de Oliveira for St Cruz.

In South Goa, Joseph Piedade Vaz will contest in Raia and Assuciana Roman Sobrinho e Rodrigues will stand in Nuvem constituency. In Colva, the party has put up Suzie Fernandes and in Velim Julio Fernandes.

It also announced the names of candidates for Sirsai, Latambarcem, Pale, Reis Magos, Honda, Nagargao, Usgao-Ganje, Curti and Xeldem.

Chodankar said that the party planned to contest in 40 constituencies, but was open to a tacit understanding with candidates standing against the BJP.