Goa: Cong shortlists Ravi Naik, Francisco Sardinha for LS polls

Panaji: Congress has finalised the names of former minister Ravi Naik and sitting MP Francisco Sardinha to contest Lok Sabha polls from North Goa and South Goa respectively, a senior official said on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_1432219” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha.[/caption] The Central Election Committee chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi shortlisted their names, Goa state party chief John Fernandes told PTI from Delhi. He said their names would now be referred to the parliamentary board, which would announce their candidature. Naik is a former Goa minister, who was recently booked by the BJP government in a job scam which is being investigated by the Goa Anti-Corruption Bureau, while Sardinha is the sitting MP from South Goa. “The candidates were announced based on the criterion of winnability,” Fernandes said. Fernandes said that two other prominent leaders Jitendra Deshprabhu and Ramakant Khalap were also considered for North Goa, but Naik was preferred by the committee. Similarly, Sardinha was chosen for South Goa despite competition from woman leader Valanka Alemao and the party’s young legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. Lok Sabha elections in Goa are scheduled for April 12. PTI