CANACONA: Signalling a return to active politics after a prolonged lull, former Deputy Speaker and ex-Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes has begun mobilising his grassroots network in preparation for the upcoming Zilla Panchayat (ZP) and municipal elections.
In his first such meeting since the last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, Fernandes on Tuesday evening gathered dedicated cadres from Gaondongrim and Khotigao at his Pedem-Loliem residence to chart a political roadmap for Canacona taluka.
Party sources said Fernandes is exploring the possibility of fielding strong candidates in both of Canacona’s ZP seats — Khola and Poinguinim — as well as contesting all 12 wards of the Canacona Municipal Council. During the last municipal polls, nine councillors from his panel were elected, though a faction later broke away to form a rival council.
Political observers view Fernandes’ latest move as a test of his post-Assembly election influence, especially in a landscape where BJP strongman and current Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar and former Deputy CM Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar continue their own aggressive outreach.
While Fernandes has largely kept a low profile since campaigning for the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Ms. Dempo, his renewed engagement suggests he is gauging public sentiment before making a decisive bid in the forthcoming polls.
