KolkataThe Trinamool Congress (TMC) is adamant on contesting even after a disappointing start in the Goa Assembly elections. Congress, the major opposition party now reduced to just three MLAs and with the BJP counting on 33 of the 40 Assembly seats, the TMC embarked on a new strategy to fill the void created by the Congress in the coastal state. Is.
The party has announced a new 40-member state committee on September 7 to help the people of Goa get its message. However, missing in the revamped committee was the leading face of the party in the state – Luizinho Faleiro.
Former Goa Chief Minister and Congressman, Faleiro joined the All India Trinamool Congress in September 2021. He was then appointed the party’s national vice-president by Mamata Banerjee and two months later was given a Rajya Sabha ticket in place of Trinamool MP Arpita Ghosh.
Speaking to ThePrint, Luizinho Faleiro said that he has not received any official communication from the party leadership in Kolkata. “I am a Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress, I have raised 40 important issues about Goa in the Upper House, but if Trinamool is unhappy with me, only they will be able to tell.”
However, Faleiro remained silent when asked whether he was going to quit the Rajya Sabha membership or from the Trinamool Congress.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji last week, Trinamool parliamentary leader, Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien called Faleiro an “honourable person”. Asked whether Faleiro continues to be a member of the TMC even after his name was dropped from the state committee.
Meanwhile, political analysts say Faleiro’s impact on TMC’s presence in the state is “essential” and “nearly negligible”.
Samil Volvoikar, who, along with Mariano Rodrigues, is the joint convener of the TMC in Goa, said “we are not missing anyone”, referring to the party’s decision to oust Faleiro from the committee.
“Whatever decision has been taken by the party, it has been taken only after full consultation with our state workers and state committee members. Goa TMC is here to stay for years to come.”
However, the party admits that they took the wrong steps in the state, mainly by omitting organic development.
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admitting mistakes
The rift between the Trinamool Congress and Luizinho Faleiro began back in January 2022. After Abhishek Banerjee announced Faleiro’s candidature from Fatorda during a press conference, Faleiro withdrew his nomination on the last day of filing nominations and put the Trinamool Congress in a tizzy.
A senior Trinamool Congress leader told ThePrint, “Falero had not followed the party’s order and fled the fight with Fatorda. He was unable to do anything even from his own constituency, Navelim.
The election result is a blow to the Trinamool Congress. Even though he failed to secure a seat in Goa, he garnered eight per cent vote share in his first performance. But it largely depended on the IPAC’s on-the-ground report and the Goa leaders who had joined the TMC to secure the party’s electoral fortunes.
Speaking to ThePrint, MP Derek O’Brien admitted that the party should have grown organically in Goa to have a stronger connect with the people. “Hoarding mistakes, an alliance with a party with a ‘right-wing’ in DNA, a rush to get people involved. We need to grow organically. Some people have the ability to admit mistakes and move forward with a positive intention. We do in TMC,” he said.
Read also: TMC made a mistake of seeking votes in Goa without forming a local organization: O’Brien
Goa Political Potboiler
As the BJP expands its strength in the coastal state of Goa, it has two opposition parties – the Congress and the Trinamool Congress.
The Congress, which was the main opposition party, is on the verge of being wiped out after eight of its 11 sitting MLAs joined hands with the BJP. The budding Trinamool Congress in Goa is now using the void created by Congress defectors to emerge as the only alternative to the BJP.
Political Analyst and Writer Gangster State: The Rise and Fall of CPI(M) in West Bengal, Says Sourya Bhowmik, “The Trinamool Congress has very little left in Goa. The BJP has now wiped out the opposition and Goa’s politics has always been of convenience. If Faleiro decides to stop or leave, the impact on the ground for TMC will be almost negligible. ,
Political analyst and associate professor, political science at Bangabasi College, Udayan Bandyopadhyay echoed a similar view. He said, “Luizinho Faleiro was first in Congress, then he joined Trinamool, but he has failed to deliver. Faleiro is immaterial, TMC has to understand the socio-economic background of Goa as only structural changes will bring the party to the state. Won’t help without fully understanding it first.”
(Edited by Therese Sudeep)
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