Goa: Michael Lobo, Siddharth Kuncalienker Likely To Join Congress After Ganpati?

PANAJI: There are very strong whispers in the Goa political circles that Waste Management Minister and Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo and former Panaji BJP MLA Siddharth Kuncalienkar are likely to join the Congress party in the next 15 days to one month, possibly after the Ganpati festivities are over.

Michael Lobo openly declared that he has got feelers both from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join them.

According to a Times of India report, Waste Management and Science and Technology minister Michael Lobo on Friday said that the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have approached him with offers to join their parties.

The two-time BJP legislator from Calangute gave enough indications of his greater political ambitions, stating that he can play an important role in Goa and that he should not be restricted to Bardez taluka. Lobo wants to oversee and control ticket distribution in the entire North Goa, something that the BJP won’t let him do.

“We will play an important role in the next assembly election,” Lobo was quoted by Times of India as saying.

Political observers pointed out that this was Lobo’s subtle message to the BJP that he needs to be given a larger role in the party for election-related matters

However, sources said that Michael Lobo has been making secret overtures to the Congress to join the party, provided his wife and he were given tickets. He has been demanding two Congress tickets as a pre-condition to joining the party.

Similarly,  former Panaji BJP MLA Siddharth Kuncalienkar admitted that he is “interested in the Panaji ticket, but it is for the party to decide”. Sources said that Kuncalienkar is keeping his options open and could join the Congress party by October or November if his own party – the BJP sidelines him.

Meanwhile, the Congress is struggling to find suitable candidates in the 40 constituencies in Goa. As a prelude to a major overhaul in the party, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) dissolved its all district and block committees in Goa on Friday.

In a letter addressed to State President Girish Chodankar, the AICC Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, said that the new committees need to be formed within a month’s time. Not just the Block Committees, even the Block Presidents have been dissolved and a new setup has to be formed within two months.

Critiques of Girish Chodankar have time and again pointed out that the Block Committees are only on paper and are the names of the list are chamchas of the Party President, who do no work and have no following in their constituencies but only attend meeting for photo-ops.

This unfortunate fact has plagued the Congress party in Goa since the last 3 years. Even in the last by-polls in 2019, the Congress had no organisation on the ground, except in 3-4 constituencies where the sitting MLA was a Congress MLA.

However, the Block Committees were not Congress Committees, but a handful of persons owing allegiance to the sitting MLA. If the MLA switched sides, the entire committee went over with him as it happened in Shiroda and Mandrem in 2019.

Both Michael Lobo and Siddharth Kuncalienkar were unavailable for comment and attempts to contact them were futile. A Congress spokesperson said everyone who wants to join the party is welcome.