PANAJI
The Congress is expected to soon announce its candidate for the upcoming Ponda by-election, with the party’s Pradesh Election Committee scheduled to meet on Monday to shortlist names.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar said that the committee will deliberate on potential candidates and finalise the party’s nominee for the by-poll. The meeting will be chaired by the party’s Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare, who is currently in Goa.
The by-election to the Ponda Assembly constituency is expected to witness significant political developments following the entry of Ketan Bhatikar into the Congress. Bhatikar, who previously contested the 2022 Assembly elections on a ticket from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), had finished as the runner-up in the constituency.
In the 2022 polls, Bhatikar narrowly lost to former minister Ravi Naik by a margin of around 100 votes, making him one of the strongest contenders in the constituency.
At the same time, the Congress also has its own local leader Rajesh Verekar, who had contested the last Assembly elections on the party’s symbol. With both leaders now in the fray, the party leadership is expected to carefully weigh its options before finalising the candidate.
Party sources said the meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee will review the political situation in the constituency and take into account factors such as winnability and local support before recommending the final name. “The local Congress workers there are against giving ticket to Bhatikar. But considering the winnability situation, Bhatikar could be a better option,” sources said adding ‘sympathy wave, however, will be in favour of BJP’.
The Congress hopes to strengthen its prospects in the Ponda by-poll amid shifting political equations in the constituency and ahead of 2027 State assembly polls.
