Raia Panchayat shines in exhibition match against Kamat-led MMC team
Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat heading the Margao Municipal team shakes hands with Curtorim Independent MLA Reginaldo Lourenco who lead the Raia panchayat team.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Politics makes strange bedfellows, so goes the good old saying. But, did anyone ever think that former Congress Chief Minister and now BJP Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat and bete noire Independent MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, presently supporting the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, would shake hands and descend on a football area to test their soccer skills?
Well, this is what exactly happened on the lush green Raia football grounds on Independence Day when the two MLAs, who did not see eye to eye when the duo was in the Congress party, got down to play football on Tuesday.
The duo were spotted playing with the ball for some time as they led their respective teams on the grounds at Raia. While Digambar Kamat led the Margao Municipal team, his Curtorim counterpart led the Raia Panchayat team. While the Reginald-led team emerged victorious over the Digambar captained MMC team, political observers were on the job, trying to figure out the takeaways from the football match, besides the trophies.
If sources are to be believed, the idea for a MMC-Raia Panchayat exhibition match originated from Raia, which was wholeheartedly accepted by the Digambar Kamat-controlled Margao Municipal Council. The exhibition football match came just days after the MMC team had an exhibition match against the Margao media at the SAG grounds, Fatorda.
For the Independent MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, the exhibition match came as an opportunity to silence his detractors, including former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao, who had claimed that the four-time Curtorim MLA has never kicked football.
“I have not played the exhibition football match to prove a point or two to anyone. And, I need not prove any point to anyone. We have been playing football since our childhood and school days”, he said.
Aware that he did not enjoy the best of relations with Kamat when the later was in the Congress and was leading the party as the Leader of Opposition, Reginaldo pointed out that despite attempts by many to defeat him in the 2022 hustings, he has emerged triumphant with the help and support of the people of Curtorim constituency.
Sources pointed out that after Reginaldo quit the Trinamool Congress in the run up to the 2022 polls, he had soon called on Kamat at his Malbhat residence at midnight, apparently expressing his willingness to return back to the Congress fold to contest the Assembly polls on the Congress banner.
His move, however, did not find favour with the Congress leadership, with sources saying some of the party leaders sabotaged his homecoming, prompting Reginald to throw his hat in the election ring as an Independent and retain his seat with a convincing margin.
“I have nothing much to say on what had happened in the past. As far as I am concerned, politics is not emotional. I don’t take it emotional when there are ups and down in politics. One thing, however, is clear, I had retained the Curtorim seat in 2022 despite attempts by my opponents”, he said.
On a parting note, Reginaldo reminded “my Raia Panchayat team has also won the exhibition football match against the Kamat-led MMC team”.
