Congress shifts flock to luxury resort in Goa amid prediction of Mar 10 results ending in dead heat
Panaji (PTI): Desperate to avoid the repeat of the 2017 fiasco when it had failed to form a government in Goa despite scoring the maximum number of seats, the Congress has shifted all the candidates who had contested the Assembly polls to a luxury resort in Bambolim village near Panaji ahead of the counting of votes on March 10.
Given that the political stakes are very high and considering the quicksand of Goa politics, the party may not allow some candidates even to visit the counting centre on Thursday, a senior Congress leader said on Wednesday.
However, Michael Lobo, who quit the BJP-led Goa government ahead of the polls and contested on a Congress ticket, said all the candidates will go to the counting centre.
With the prediction of a hung Assembly setting off power games in Goa, Congress on Tuesday evening shifted all its candidates in a luxury resort at Bambolim village, around 5 km away from Panaji. All the candidates checked in the resort on Tuesday evening with their luggage, indicating that the government formation may be a long haul.
However, Congress leaders refused to admit that the party was corralling its candidates as it is not willing to take any chances given the delicate number game.
We are here to celebrate the birthday of Opposition leader Digambar Kamat. It's a celebration time, Lobo, who contested the election from home turf Calangute, told reporters.
Kamat celebrated his birthday on March 8.
Lobo said Congress had nothing to fear as all the candidates are together. "There is no worry about poaching," he added.
However, a senior Congress leader spoke about the anxiety in the party over retaining the flock against the backdrop of the 2017 experience wherein intense infighting and the delay in staking claim to form a government cost the party dear.
There are worries. That is why the candidates are kept under one roof. Some of the candidates will not be allowed even to visit the counting centre tomorrow. Their counting agents will represent them, a senior Congress leader said.
Lobo, however, said that all the candidates will go to the counting centre. Let them celebrate their victory and return to stake a claim to form the government, he said.
With its strength whittled down to just two MLAs in the 40-member House from the 17 seats it had won in the 2017 polls and the Goa political space getting crowded with the entry of TMC and AAP, the Grand Old Party did some course correction ahead of polls this time.
Before the polls, held on February 14, Congress made all its 37 candidates sign affidavits to ensure that they will not defect to other parties after getting elected.
The Congress had taken all its candidates in a special bus to a temple, a church as well as a dargah in Goa and made them take the 'anti-defection' pledge.
Senior leaders, including AICC Goa election in-charge P Chidambaram and Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, have been closely monitoring the developments.
In the 2017 polls, despite winning 17 seats, Congress could not come to power as the BJP, which had bagged 13 seats, allied with some independents and regional parties to form the government under Manohar Parrikar.
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India will ensure zero casualty during heat waves: Shah
Ghaziabad (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said his ministry has prepared a plan to ensure zero human casualty during heat waves in the country in the next few years with the underlying principle of being "proactive" rather than "reactive" towards disasters.
The minister spoke after he presented the President's Colour to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the campus of its 8th battalion here.
The President's Colour flag is awarded to a military or police unit for rendering exceptional service.
The honour came to the force in the 20th year of its establishment after it was raised in 2006 as a federal contingency force to undertake relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters.
The President's Colour is not just a "recognition" for the excellent services of the NDRF but also of all the state disaster response forces, the state machinery, the NCC (National Cadet Corps), NSS (National Service Scheme), 'Apda Seva Mitras' (volunteers) among others, Shah said.
He added that the NDRF has earned the "admiration and trust" of the people of the country and even abroad through its operations.
The minister said the aim of the Modi government was to ensure "zero casualty and minimum property damage" during tragedies and calamities, including cyclones, earthquakes and floods.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared a plan to better combat the "serious challenge" of heat waves in the country and we will be able to ensure "zero casualty" in this context over the next few years, Shah said.
Our approach and policy has been "proactive" against disasters rather than being just "reactive", he said.
Shah said India has made its name as a "global leader" in disaster management and being the "first responder" during calamities as he asked the NDRF to prepare itself in the face of global warming and climate change.
The NDRF has 16 operational battalions deployed across the country with an overall strength of about 18,000 personnel.
Speaking during the event, NDRF Director General (DG) Piyush Anand said the force has undertaken more than 12,000 operations since its creation.
