the goan I network
PANAJI
Saturday will see campaigns peaking for the April 23 Lok Sabha and the by-elections to three Assembly constituencies in Goa instead of Sunday, owing to the solemn Easter celebrations which the Catholic minority community will be engaged in.
The Opposition Congress has fixed at least 10 major public meetings in both North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats, most of which will be addressed by its senior leader Anand Sharma among others.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president, Girish Chodankar who is also the party’s nominee for the North Goa Lok Sabha seat told The Goan that most of his party’s final campaigning activity will be held on Saturday.
He, however, said the party did not alter its campaigning strategy due to Easter Sunday coinciding with the last day of campaigning. He said, the party will concentrate on connecting directly with the voter at the local level across the State on Sunday.
Campaigning is to officially come to a close in Goa on Sunday evening but candidates can continue with house visits but they cannot hold rallies and meetings besides indulging in other traditional
campaigning modes.
Sections of the minority community had initially expressed dissatisfaction when the Election Commission had declared the poll schedule over the proximity of the poll date with Easter in Goa.
The Commission however had turned down the CBCI request.
Also, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) had written to the Commission, urging it to “either anticipate or postpone” the phase scheduled for April 18 as it was ‘Maundy Thursday’ which is a holy day and commemorates the Last Supper Christ had with his disciples.
CBCI secretary, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, however had made it clear in his letter to the Commission that rather than religious sentiments the request was being made in view of the difficulties that members of the community may face with the dates clashing in some states.
Meanwhile the Aam Aadmi Party will hold its campaign winding rally covering five of the seven talukas of the South Goa Lok Sabha seat. The car rally will kick off at Vasco on Saturday morning and travel through Mormugao, Salcete, Quepem, Sanguem and Ponda talukas before winding up at Margao in the evening.
