Goa CM not sure of winning his seat so Shah is campaigning for him: Cong

Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Wednesday taunted the ruling BJP for calling in Union Home Minister Amit Shah for campaigning in Sankhalim, from where chief minister Pramod Sawant is contesting, saying the CM knows he is going to lose from the assembly seat.

Hitting back at the opposition party, Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said the people of the state are aware that the Congress is going to be defeated in the February 14 polls to the 40-member assembly. Shah is scheduled to address a public meeting at Sankhalim, from where Sawant is the BJP candidate, on Wednesday evening. Chodankar said the BJP knows Sawant is likely to lose from Sankhalim and that is why the ruling party has invited Shah to campaign in his favour. The state Congress president said 80 per cent of the party candidates are new faces and expressed confidence about forming a government with a clear majority in alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP). Responding to Chodankar's statements, Tanavade tweeted Dear @girishgoa Bab, people of #Goa too knows that @INCGoa is losing; your refusal to campaign for your alliance partner @Goaforwardparty in #Fatorda raises a question of your credibility. Tanavade was apparently referring to the political rivalry between GFP president Vijai Sardesai, who is contesting from his traditional Fatorda seat, and Chodankar. The Congress has fielded candidates in 37 assembly constituencies, while its alliance partner the GFP is contesting the remaining three seats - Fatorda, Mayem and Mandrem.