Congress has decided to retain its candidates from Goa, despite senior leader Churchill Alemao's threat to quit the party and contest as an independent, if he was not given a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from South Goa, sources said here today.
After attending a series of meetings in New Delhi, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president John Fernandes told PTI that the party was going ahead with the candidature of Aleix Reginald Lourenco (South Goa) and Ravi Naik (North Goa).
Meanshile, Alemao addressed a meeting of his workers in Margao town today setting a final deadline to the Congress high command to resolve the issue by 11 am tomorrow.
"I will wait until 11 am tomorrow to take my final decision. If denied a ticket, I will contest as an independent from South Goa," he said, addressing his workers.
On the other hand, Fernandes said that he has returned from Delhi with the 'A' forms which empower him to give party symbols to both candidates announced by the Congress, adding that Lourenco would file his nomination tomorrow morning in South Goa.
The GPCC president said Congress has decided to adopt a resolution in a couple of days, to ban leaders who desert the party, from rejoining it again.
"If Alemao quits, he will never be allowed to rejoin Congress," he said.
Fernandes claimed that Alemao's dissidence is "a regular feature during elections".
"This is a regular feature during elections. He tries to blackmail the party," he said, adding that the Congress has decided that it won't bow to such tactics.
Alemao is a former member of Parliament from South Goa, who was also caught on camera in the alleged Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) scam.
Congress had refused a ticket to sitting member of Parliament Fransisco Sardinha from South Goa, choosing to introduce Lourenco, who is already a member of the Goa state Assembly.
