Congress Fields Naval Officer And Kargil War Veteran Captain Viriato Fernandes From South Goa (image-X/ViriatoFern)
Going to polls on May 7, the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency – one of the two constituencies in the coastal state – will witness a battle between Congress candidate and Kargil war veteran Captain Viriato Fernandes and Pallavi Dempo, the first woman candidate to contest in the national elections for the BJP in Goa.
Recently, the retired Naval officer found himself in a controversy after he remarked that the constitution of India was “forced” upon the people of Goa after its liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961, drawing criticism from state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP leaders. Fernandes hit back, accusing Sawant of twisting his words.
Recalling a conversation he had with Rahul Gandhi in 2019, Fernandes said that he had raised the demand for dual citizenship for Goans as the state was liberated in 1961 when the Constitution, implemented in 1950, had no provision for Goans.
Soon after, Congress filed a complaint against Sawant, among others, for allegedly spreading “misinformation” against Fernandes by twisting his words. The party also demanded action against PM Modi who projected the Kargil war veteran’s speech as disrespectful towards the Constitution.
Dear @goacm, Dont try to twist & turn selective words from my speech to get political mileage & spread venom. I am ready for an open Debate on what i spoke as well as issues of Destruction of Identity of Goa, Rise in Unemployment, Inflation, Crimes & Corruption under @BJP4India. pic.twitter.com/0cb2KWkE97
— Capt. Viriato Fernandes (@ViriatoFern) April 22, 2024
Having served as a captain in the Indian Navy for over 26 years, Fernandes has raised key issues that the residents have protested over such as coal imports and the proposal of Film City at Loliem near the Indian Navy’s Seabird project which could pose a threat to the national security.
With smaller parties like Vijai Sardesai’s Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) backing Congress as part of the INDIA alliance, the South Goa constituency is a Congress bastion. The party has won the seat over ten times while the saffron party has only won it twice: 1999 and 2014.
Having fielded a woman candidate and novice Ms Dempo, the wife of chairman of the Dempo group Shrinivas Dempo, the BJP seeks to get the Catholic Christian votes. Using Fernandes’ remarks has also lent ammunition to BJP.
Amongst all this, a third challenger is also in the fray. Revolutionary Goans (RG) candidate Rubert Pereira whose mission is to clean the ‘old and corrupt order’ of politics in Goa. According to political analysts, the RG party’s entry is a wild card which could impact the electoral results.
The South Goa Lok Sabha constituency has 20 Vidhan Sabhas including Marcalm, Nuvem, Fatorda, Velim, Canacona, Quepem, Margao among others.
