By Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net
Panjim, Goa: As Goa goes to polls in the beginning of next year, the Congress party has said that they would consider nominating Muslim candidates for the upcoming elections.
Digvijay Singh, All India Congress Party General Secretary and In-charge of Goa desk, assured Muslim organisations in the state that they are going to put four Muslim names before the core committee for candidates the list for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls. Speaking with the media on Thursday, he said that final decision on names of the candidates will be taken by the committee. He added that if elected to power, Congress would work to resolve all the issues including that of graveyards, employment ,education and other problems affecting Goan Muslims.
Only 5% of Goa’s population of 15 lakh are Muslims, and areas like Valpoi, Margao, Vasco and Ponda have a strong Muslims population.
Until now, only one muslim MLA, Sheikh Hasan Haroon has been nominated to the state assembly. He was a five term member (1984 to 2002) of the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly representing the Mormugao constituency on Congress ticket.
In the upcoming elections, the major battle will be between BJP and the Congress, while other parties like Rashtrawadi Congress and MGP (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party) will also try to use their influence in some parts of the state.
Sheikh Jinah, President, Goa BJP minority cell and loyal activist of the party, has made his intentions clear a month ago when during a press conference he said he was interested in contesting assembly elections from Navelim constituency on the party ticket.
Speaking with Twocircles.net, Rajshri Nagarsekar, convenor, Aam Admi Party-Goa Unit said, “We have a number of Muslim activist in the state but whoever is found fit as per the our party’s Swarajya ideology will get a ticket. We never consider candidate’s caste or religion.”
It is important to point out that in 2012 assembly polls, Muslims demanded four seats from the Congress in constituencies wherein their percentage was more than 35%. However, Congress rejected the demand and gave only one seat from the Fatorda constituency, which has very less muslim voters. No wonder then, that the party and the candidate suffered defeat. As a result, this angered Goan Muslims and a section of them demanded that Muslims should not vote for the Congress.
Bashir Ahmed, President, All Goa Muslim Jamat spoke with Twocircles.net on this issue and commented that last time Congress had ditched Muslims of Goa. “We were expecting at least two seats each from north and south Goa. Our demand was not fulfilled; this time we are expecting favorable decision from the party,” he added.
Saifullah Khan a senior Congress activist and the three-time councilor from Vasco welcomed the party’s decision of considering four Muslim candidates from different constituencies. “This time we are really hopeful that party will give justice to its loyal activists who are working for its betterment since decades,” he said, while speaking with Twocircles.net.