Panaji: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) capitalized on the recent momentum it had gained from the visits of its top leaders from Delhi and became the first party to release its list of candidates for the upcoming state polls in 2017.
The party announced the candidatures of state secretary Valmiki Naik from Panaji, former Shiv Sena's state chief Ajitsingh Rane from Mayem, Molu Velip from Shiroda, and Cruz Silva, a businessman from Velim.
Party spokesman Oscar Rebello denied that party loyalty was an important factor while deciding the names of the candidates.
"The candidates were thoroughly scrutinized for any past charges of corruption, crime and communal records by our volunteers, campaign committee and the central committee in Delhi. We will be releasing the names of the remaining candidates subsequently in the coming two weeks," Rebello said, while remaining coy about who will be the chief ministerial candidate for Goa. AAP should be able to announce all its candidates by October, he said.
The party state leadership defended the decision of joining hands with trade union leader Rane, who in the past was a member of Congress, before joining the right wing Shiv Sena, whose he was a state chief. Rane is the head of Goa trade union confederation and is a lawyer by profession. A former stuent-leader, Rane has taken up several issues over the years including the Mayem evacuee property one.
"What we believe is that good, honest, hardworking members of society have had to taste every poison offered on the table before coming to the right conclusion of joining the Aam Aadmi Party. So it does not matter if the candidate has been associated in the past with BJP, Congress or Shiv Sena, as long as there is no past criminal, communal and corruption record of him," Rebello said, while commenting on Rane's past record of jumping from one political outfit to another.
Valmiki, Rebello said, has been a vociferous anti-corruption campaigner since Anna Hazare launched 'India against corruption'. A civil engineer with an MS in engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, USA, Valmiki is the son of former RSS leader and Konkani protagonist Datta Naik from Miramar. Cruz Silva, a BE civil degree holder, has been the sarpanch of Velim. He has a history of fighting for social causes including the agitation for removal of casino vessels from River Sal, Rebello said. Velip built the party from scratch in the Shiroda constituency, he added.
Observers say that it could be due to lack of consensus in many constituencies where the party has a relatively good organisation, that AAP stopped at only four names on the firt list of candidates on Tuesday.
TOI Goa News
The party announced the candidatures of state secretary Valmiki Naik from Panaji, former Shiv Sena's state chief Ajitsingh Rane from Mayem, Molu Velip from Shiroda, and Cruz Silva, a businessman from Velim.
Party spokesman Oscar Rebello denied that party loyalty was an important factor while deciding the names of the candidates.
"The candidates were thoroughly scrutinized for any past charges of corruption, crime and communal records by our volunteers, campaign committee and the central committee in Delhi. We will be releasing the names of the remaining candidates subsequently in the coming two weeks," Rebello said, while remaining coy about who will be the chief ministerial candidate for Goa. AAP should be able to announce all its candidates by October, he said.
The party state leadership defended the decision of joining hands with trade union leader Rane, who in the past was a member of Congress, before joining the right wing Shiv Sena, whose he was a state chief. Rane is the head of Goa trade union confederation and is a lawyer by profession. A former stuent-leader, Rane has taken up several issues over the years including the Mayem evacuee property one.
"What we believe is that good, honest, hardworking members of society have had to taste every poison offered on the table before coming to the right conclusion of joining the Aam Aadmi Party. So it does not matter if the candidate has been associated in the past with BJP, Congress or Shiv Sena, as long as there is no past criminal, communal and corruption record of him," Rebello said, while commenting on Rane's past record of jumping from one political outfit to another.
Valmiki, Rebello said, has been a vociferous anti-corruption campaigner since Anna Hazare launched 'India against corruption'. A civil engineer with an MS in engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, USA, Valmiki is the son of former RSS leader and Konkani protagonist Datta Naik from Miramar. Cruz Silva, a BE civil degree holder, has been the sarpanch of Velim. He has a history of fighting for social causes including the agitation for removal of casino vessels from River Sal, Rebello said. Velip built the party from scratch in the Shiroda constituency, he added.
Observers say that it could be due to lack of consensus in many constituencies where the party has a relatively good organisation, that AAP stopped at only four names on the firt list of candidates on Tuesday.
TOI Goa News
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