Final decision on South Goa LS seat candidate after INDIA bloc meet: Congress
Panaji (PTI): A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its MLA as the INDIA alliance nominee for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on Wednesday said a final decision on the candidate will be taken after the opposition bloc's meeting in Delhi.
The AAP and Congress have been on a collision course over the sharing of seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on Tuesday deciding to field Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas from South Goa and seeking to blame the Congress for the apparent delay in picking a candidate.
South Goa is one of the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa currently represented by Francisco Sardinha of the Congress.
Asked about AAP's announcement of the South Goa Lok Sabha seat candidate, state Congress president Amit Patkar on Wednesday said the opposition INDIA alliance is yet to decide the candidate.
"We have eight aspirants each for the North Goa and South Goa seats from the Congress party itself. The AAP has shortlisted Venzy Viegas. The final candidate will be decided after the INDIA alliance meeting in Delhi," Patkar said at a press conference where he was accompanied by MP Sardinha.
He also expressed confidence that the Congress will win both the North Goa and South Goa Lok Sabha seats.
Patkar on Tuesday questioned the "premature" announcement by AAP, given that seat-sharing talks are being finalised in New Delhi.
During his visit to Goa in January, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said his party was discussing a seat in the coastal state as a part of the INDIA alliance.
In the 2019 general elections, Elvis Gomes of AAP finished third by bagging 20,891 votes behind Sardinha and Narendra Sawaikar, who contested on the BJP ticket.
South Goa constituency has remained more or less loyal to the Congress, but the 2019 assembly elections changed the political landscape, with BJP winning 12 of the 20 assembly segments and Congress two.
Meanwhile, Patkar also said that they have placed before Chief Minister Pramod Sawant a list of 24 core issues pertaining to the state, and seeking a report within eight days on the action taken on them.
The government will have to reply on various issues, including corruption, failure to resume mining, Mhadei river diversion, three linear projects (pertaining to rail, road and electricity works) allegedly violating environmental norms, setting up of IIT campus at a "green field" in South Goa and the proposed Film City project in Canacona, he added.
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Thunderstorm hits Lucknow, IMD issues red alert across multiple UP districts
Lucknow: Shortly after the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning of severe weather conditions in the region, a sudden thunderstorm hit Lucknow and adjoining districts on Monday morning.
The Indian Express reported that the skies turned dark around 8:45 am as strong winds lashed parts of the city. Incidents of tree falls were reported from several locations, disrupting traffic and normal movement.
The weather department said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and gusty winds of 40 to 60 kmph are likely to continue over the next three hours across several districts.
A red alert has been issued for districts including Unnao, Barabanki, Hardoi, Sitapur, Bahraich, Gonda, Shravasti and Lakhimpur Kheri, where moderate thunderstorms with hail and strong winds may damage trees, power lines and temporary structures.
An orange alert is in place for Rae Bareli, Amethi, Kanpur Nagar, Ayodhya, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Shahjahanpur and Balrampur, where thunderstorms with lightning and winds up to 60 kmph could lead to localised disruptions.
Major parts of the state remains under yellow alert, including districts such as Prayagraj, Agra, Bareilly, Aligarh and Moradabad, where light rain, lightning and winds of 30 to 40 kmph are expected.
Authorities have advised residents to remain indoors, avoid open areas and trees during lightning, and secure loose objects.
