Close aides of most of the Congress bigwigs and MLAs from Salcete are all set to take over the reigns of the blocks in their respective constituencies as the Congress party has completed elections for the party block level during the weekend.
the goan I network
MARGAO
In Fatorda, the constituency represented by TCP Minister, Vijai Sardesai, long-time rival and former Margao Municipal Chairperson Piedade Noronha has turned out to be the unanimous choice of the Fatorda block for the president's post.
Notable amongst those who are all set to be declared re-elected included Navelim block president Conceissao Piexote, Cuncolim president Landry Mascarenhas and Margao block chief Gopal Naik.
Names of the newly-elected presidents and the committee members are expected to be formally appointed only on September 25.
If senior Congress leader Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro has his right hand man, Conceissao Piexote re-elected as the Navelim block Congress chief, Margao MLA and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has incumbent block president Gopal Naik elected to the hot seat.
It is just a coincidence that Piexote is all set to be formally elected declared elected to the hot seat for the third time in a row as he has been presiding over the Navelim block for over a decade now.
The situation is no different in Velim, Cuncolim and Nuvem, represented by MLAs Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Clafacio Dias and Wilfred D'Sa.
Take the case of Velim. Filipe Neri's close supporter Joaquim Pereira has made it to the block president unanimously. In fact, Filipe said the entire block has been elected unanimously by the members. In Cuncolim, incumbent block president Landry Mascarenhas, who is a close aide of Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias, has retained his position as president of the Cuncolim block.
Similarly, Nuvem MLA Wilfred D'Sa's close aide Remy Fernandes, has made it to the coveted post without any difficulty, suggesting that the Congress MLAs have ensured that their key people have retained hold over the Block panels.
Sources in the know said that decks have been cleared for the election of Milagres Fernandes as the new Curtorim block president. The return of Piedade Noronha as the unanimous choice of the Fatorda block assumes significance since the former MMC Chairperson had been the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai's bitter critique over the years.
In fact, Piedade had contested against the minister in the past and since then had been turned out his political rival in Fatorda. In Benaulim constituency, incumbent block president, Edwin Barretto has handed over the baton to the younger lot.
It is learnt that Edwin, who had presided the affairs of the block for over a decade and had locked horns with the Alemaos in the 2017 Assembly election, may move to the Pradesh Congress Committee. Sources said that former Varca sarpanch and panch, Charlton Lourenco is tipped as the new block president of Benaulim constituency.
