PANAJI: The Congress party is contesting 38 seats and has extended support to two independent candidates for the March 22 Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections.
Speaking to reporters at the Congress office, here on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat said that the party had extended its support to Cecilia Rodrigues (Taleigao) and Sandesh Gaonkar (Bardem), both contesting as independent candidates. He said that 10 seats the Congress will support formidable candidates so as to defeat the BJP nominees.
To a question, Kamat clarified that the Congress had not formed a pre-poll alliance with any of the like-minded political parties and had gone for seat adjustment. But when it was brought to his notice that the MGP legislator Sudin Dhavlikar was already on record stating that the party had `unofficial alliance' with the Congress party, Kamat said, "Congress and MGP candidates are fighting against each other in many constituencies. Wherever we did not have formidable candidates we decided to extend support to formidable candidates of other parties and independents."
He said that he personally met party MLAs and sitting MP Francisco Sardinha and consulted them and fielded candidates as per their recommendations. "I could not meet Ponda MLA Ravi Naik personally but fielded candidates selected by him," Kamat said. The Leader of the Opposition appealed to the people to vote and elect Congress candidates and those backed by the party with thumping majority.