St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes to be dropped, not likely to get a BJP ticket: Sources

PANAJI: St Cruz MLA Antonio “Tony” Fernandes is likely to face the ‘axe’ this time and will not be given a BJP ticket, sources said. Tony was among the ten Congress MLAs who switched sides in 2019 and went over to the BJP.

Sources said that Tony is likely to contest as an independent, but in that case he will not have the support of the BJP cadre and Block in the constituency. He is still hopeful of getting a BJP ticket and he told this reporter that no senior BJP leader has said anything. “I am the sitting MLA, so if they plan to replace me with another candidate, they will tell me so. Right now no senior party leader has even hinted at anything.”

Tiswadi strongman Babush Monserrate wants the St Cruz ticket for his son Rohit Monserrate, but it is unlikely the BJP will cede to his demand.

Tony is also trying to get back into the Congress, but it is unlikely he will manage to get a berth on the Congress bandwagon, as there are already 4-5 aspirants for the Congress ticket in St Cruz.

Hinting that some MLAs could be denied the ticket, Goa CM Pramod Sawant said winnability was the key criteria in the party’s strategy of selection of candidates for the upcoming 2022 state assembly polls, adding that some sitting BJP MLAs would be dropped when it comes to selection of candidates for the polls and new faces could be given a chance.

He said denying sitting MLAs tickets to contest the upcoming Assembly polls was not a new phenomenon and that such practice has been prevalent in all political parties over time.

“Like I have said earlier, this happens at every election. Some sitting MLAs had their tickets cancelled. Winnability is the criteria. The central party committee decides on the tickets. It (candidate selection) is in the hands of the Parliamentary Board,” Sawant told reporters in Panaji.