With the deadline for filing nominations for the February 4 polls just a day away, the rebel Congress workers from the Fatorda constituency in South Goa, on Tuesday accused AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh of compromising the party’s interests and also alleged a quid pro quo for entering into a seat-sharing arrangement with a regional party for three legislative Assembly seats, including Fatorda.
Congress ticket aspirant Piedade Noronha said that that Singh had been interfering with the ticket allotment process and was violating the party’s collective decision to contest the 40 legislative Assembly seats on its own strength.
“We were told that the Congress was contesting all 40 seats and that we had to prepare groundwork for it. And now of a sudden the Fatorda seat is being given up by the party. We are accusing Singh of compromising the party’s interest for selfish interest in giving this seat to Vijai Sardesai’s Goa Forward,” Piedade Noronha told reporters in Panaji. She also torched an effigy of Singh near the State Congress headquarters in Panaji.
The Congress and Goa Forward, a regional party started by Sardesai has been in talks over forming an alliance for the last few months. Sardesai, who until last week was a sitting MlA from Fatorda, has also accused the Congress leadership of dragging its feet over finalising the alliance and had threatened to contest without Congress support, until an arrangement was finally arrived at during a meeting with the Congress High Command last week.