Goa Congress chief Chodankar files nomination for North Goa seat

Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Monday filed his nomination for contesting the Lok Sabha poll from North Goa seat in the state.

Chodankar submitted his nomination papers to district election officer R Menaka in Panaji in the presence of Congress Legislature Party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar, other party MLAs and supporters.

The Congress's South Goa seat candidate, former MP Francisco Sardinha, will file his nomination on Tuesday.

Chodankar, who is contesting the Lok Sabha poll for the first time, earlier unsuccessfully fought the state Assembly by-election from Panaji seat in August 2017 against late chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

This time, Chodankar's rivals in North Goa are sitting BJP MP Shripad Naik and AAP candidate Pradip Padgaonkar.

Naik has represented the seat for last four terms.

After filing the papers, Chodankar told reporters here that he wants to be the voice of Goans in Parliament.

He claimed that the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Goa "failed" to fulfil the promises made by the saffron party before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"I appeal people now to vote wisely," he said.

The election for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa and bypolls in three Assembly seats - Mandrem, Shiroda and Mapusa - will be held on April 23.

Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar expressed confidence that his party will win both the Lok Sabha seats and the three bypolls.

There is a strong "Congress wave" across country and also in Goa, he claimed.

"The result was evident in the 2017 Assembly polls when people elected 17 Congress MLAs in the 40-member Assembly. But, the BJP stole the people's mandate and formed the state government, for which people will punish it this time," Kavlekar said.

The BJP, which won only 13 seats in the 2017 state polls, formed a coalition government under Parrikar's leadership with the support the Maharashtrwadi Gomantak Party, the Goa Forward Party and Independents.