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Updated November 13th, 2021 at 14:44 IST

TMC nominates ex-CM Luizinho Faleiro to Rajya Sabha even as Goa Assembly election looms

In an intriguing development ahead of the Goa polls, TMC announced that its national vice president Luizinho Faleiro will contest the Rajya Sabha election. 

Reported by: Akhil Oka
TMC, Goa
Image: ANI | Image:self
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In an intriguing move ahead of the Goa polls, TMC announced on Saturday that its national vice president Luizinho Faleiro will contest the election to the Rajya Sabha. The veteran politician represented the Navelim constituency 7 times from 1980 and served as the CM for two terms when he was in the Congress party. While this latest development implies that TMC's most experienced face in Goa might not be the party's Chief Ministerial candidate, sources told ANI that he is likely to contest the Assembly polls. 

After Faleiro had jumped ship to TMC, AICC Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao downplayed his electoral prospects and stated that this was a "blessing in disguise". Speaking to the media, he opined, "Actually, we have had many people wanting to contest in Navelim. Because Luizinho was there, we were holding them back. Though we have lots of information that he has lost touch with the people. We were actually reassessing what to do with the constituency". 

TMC forays into Goa politics

TMC has stepped up its election campaign after deciding to field its candidates on all 40 seats in Goa. In the last few weeks, many posters featuring the TMC supremo's photo and the slogan 'Gonychi Navi Sakal' (Goa's new dawn) have been put across the state. On September 29, Faleiro joined the Mamata Banerjee-led party along with ex-MGP MLA Lavoo Mamledar, Congress general secretaries Yatish Naik and Vijay Poi, Congress Secretaries Mario Pinto De Santana and Anand Naik, poet Shivdas Sonu Naik, South Goa Advocates Association president Antonio Monteiro Clovis Da Costa and Rajendra Kakodkar.

Subsequently, hundreds of other Congress leaders have joined the party. In another development, Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar has extended support to TMC. Incensed by the growing political capital of the Mamata Banerjee-led party, Congress recently accused TMC of indirectly helping BJP by dividing the secular votes. During the WB CM's three-day visit to Goa which concluded on October 30, veteran Bollywood actor Nafisa Ali and Tennis legend Leander Paes joined her party. 

Rubbishing TMC's electoral prospects, Goa CM Pramod Sawant told Republic TV, "By coming here for two days, TMC leaders cannot understand what I have done for the people in two and a half years. Mamata should resign for the atrocities committed on the brothers and sisters (of West Bengal) after the election there. She should resign first and then ask for my resignation. She does not have the right to ask for my resignation." 

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Published November 13th, 2021 at 13:31 IST

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