Goa: Trajano alleges top Cong leaders, GPCC Prez Chodankar got Rs 25 lakh “bribe” to give away Sancoale ZP seat

PANAJI: In the Zilla Panchayat elections held earlier this year in Goa, BJP ZP candidate Anita Thorat was elected unopposed from Sancoale, as she was the only candidate to file nominations from the constituency. The Congress candidate went missing at the last minute and did not file nomination papers, paving the way for Thorat’s unopposed election.

Now, former Congress spokesperson Trajano D’mello, speaking to mediapersons, has alleged that the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar and a few top leaders were paid Rs 25 lakh as “bribe” or “setting” to give away the Sancoale ZP seat to the BJP on a platter.

D’mello’s outbursts cane Wednesday, after he was expelled by the Congress party for six years for alleged “anti party activities”. He has challenged his expulsion saying he had sent several emails to party functionaries including the party president, but no response was forthcoming. He also said he was not served a show-cause notice and his expulsion was illegal.

D’mello accused party president Girish Chodankar of corruption, alleging that Chodankar took money to give tickets during the 2019 by-polls and sold tickets to the highest bidder.

He also said that Chodankar and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) were working for the ruling BJP and did not want the Congress back in power.

In a vitriolic outburst he alleged that the Congress party president was “highly communal” and that he was instructed by the party president to speak against senior party leaders at a press conference at Fatorda, during the ZP polls.

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has not responded to D’mello’s allegations and party president Girish Chodankar was unavailable for comment.