Margao: Former state Congress president Amit Patkar, who fell just short of winning the Curchorem seat in 2022, is signalling in no uncertain terms that he intends to be back in the fray for 2027 from Curchorem.After his term as state Congress chief ended abruptly in May, with the party bringing back Girish Chodankar to head the unit, Patkar had largely kept off the ground in Curchorem. He ended that silence on Janmashtami last week, organising a Govinda Utsav of his own in the constituency. The dahi handi event, by most accounts, arguably drew a significant crowd — a none-too-subtle message to the party brass that he still commands numbers on the ground.Also, from Sep 11 to 14, Patkar will host a Chaturthi Mahotsav in Curchorem, pitched publicly as a platform to promote “local livelihoods, talent and tradition.” He has also announced a pan-Goa anti-drug campaign to be flagged off from Curchorem, a seat he has taken to describing as the “drugs capital” of the state.The flurry of activity marks a sharp turnaround for a politician who, soon after his 2022 defeat, was handed the post of the state Congress president and found himself preoccupied with organisational work at the cost of nursing his own constituency. That absence created space that some newer aspirants for the Congress ticket were quick to occupy.Patkar’s unceremonious removal from the top post of Congress, however, appears to have left him increasingly estranged from the party establishment. While some of his prominent supporters are believed to have propped up the idea of a breakaway Goa Congress Party, Patkar has recently been seen growing closer to GFP chief Vijai Sardesai. These developments, viewed together, have fuelled speculations in political circles that he may be weighing his options beyond the Congress fold.The Patkar camp, however, insists the renewed public outreach in Curchorem is about reconnecting with voters who backed him overwhelmingly in 2022. But with his standing inside the party remaining uncertain, political observers are keeping a close watch on his next moves. For the voters, however, it remains as much a matter of confusion as of curiosity.
