By Our Staff Reporter

Panaji (Goa)

Former Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat seems to have surpassed all his competitors in the race of next Congress chief in Goa.

Party sources confirmed that Kamat has a backing of the Congress Legislative Party which has discarded Girish Chodankar, who otherwise would have been the frontrunner.

All India Congress Committee Secretary Chellakumar was down in Goa last week to take stock of the situation after Shantaram Naik resigned from the post. 

The list of the people who were shortlisted included Kamat, Chodankar and Sankulp Amonkar. The shortlisted names would be presented before the AICC which will take the final call.

The party sources confirmed that Kamat was supported by almost all the legislators from the Congress Legislative Party, the factor which gave him the edge.

The legislators had opposed the candidature of Chodankar who has been one of the seniormost party leader. 

“There was opposition to the candidature of Chodankar because the feeling amongst the legislators was that he would never allow the formation of government, if time arises due to his rivalry with Vijai Sardesai,” a senior congress leader said.

The Congress is hoping that Sardesai will divorce the current coalition and join hands with them and Kamat would be a person who can broker the deal.