Congress: In hunt for a dark horse

The battle for the top Congress slot in the state has got intense with the feud coming out in the open.
With incumbent Subhash Shirodkar and his predecessor Francisco Sardinha locking horns, Delhi is reportedly keen on adopting its time-tested formula in such situations - annointing a third person.
And so, BK Hariprasad and Co are on the hunt for a suitable 'dark horse' but can't find any. The trouble is, the Congress in Goa has too many 'independent' thinking politicos and the few that the one or two that the party can count on aren't  unwilling to give up their ministerial posts to become PCC chief. And, the wait for a new party chief in Goa will get longer and definitely beyond the bye-poll in Valpoi.

Churchill’s Chaturthi fury
Interesting! PWD Minister Churchill-bab has suddenly discovered the virtue in punctuality.
Last week, he went gung-ho over empty chairs and desks at the Rural Development Agency's office in Margao, and ordered the sacking of a lowly peon and a couple of clerks who were allegedly absent, unauthorisedly. What the Varca strongman did not consider was that it was the Ganesh Chaturthi fortnight, when absentism is more a rule rather than the exception.
He also unusually vent his anger at his otherwise favourite babu Melvin Vaz and spoke to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on phone, there and then, seeking his immediate removal as project director for RDA (South).
What's it that has upset Churchill-bab so much about the RDA in the South? 
For the record, the Varca strongman claims it's the lethargy of the staff there. The RDA in the North has made huge strides while it's lagging far behind in the South, he claims.
But anonymous 'whispers' heard from the other side of GT's fence suggest a different tale. It's the indifference they show to a favourite ex-MLA, who's been throwing all the weight of her stocky physique around them, that's earned them the wrath of the boss.
On the flip side, Churchill-bab's new found enthusiasm to be a 'stern administrator', whatever the provocation, bodes well for Goa, provided it is extended to all the offices he heads as minister. But will he extend it to the offices of his plum portfolio - PWD - where engineers bunk work more often than they wink, to do work for firms they register in the names of spouses and kin? Or is it another gimmick to fool the gullible voter that will leave the RDA peon and clerks mere scapegoats?

Back to square one…
After all the brouhaha over the casinos choking the Mandovi, the government seems to have bowed to the wishes of the roullette spinners. They won't go to the Aguada bay after all. Instead they will now occupy a longer stretch of the narrow river, exciting the anti-Casino lobby.
It's back to square one again!