Panaji in pocket, Atanasio Monserrate eyes Tiswadi crown

PANAJI: With the Panaji seat is his kitty, Congress MLA elect Atanasio Monserrate is the first to win from three different constituencies. Besides Panaji, he has won the Taleigao and St Cruz seats.
Monserrate has had an illustrious journey to the top. He made his foray into politics when he was elected Taleigao MLA on a United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) ticket in 2002. Over the course of his political career he has been with Congress, BJP, UGDP, UGP and Goa Forward Party.Political observers say that since Monserrate stepped onto the political stage, he has been calling the shots on his own strength, rather than any party. He has now contested and won from three constituencies – Taleigao, St Cruz, Panaji. The only other person to come close is former chief minister Wilfred D’Souza who contested from Benaulim, Saligao and Aldona but did not win all three.
Political observers suggest that by contesting as many constituencies in Tiswadi as possible Babush intends to shake off the Taleigao strongman tag and emerge as the Tiswadi strongman. The vision is to take control of the taluka and become the main player in Goan politics.
Monserrate’s wife Jennifer has been elected in Taleigao for two consecutive terms now, while St Cruz MLA Antonio Fernandes was given the Congress ticket with prompting from Monserrate and won the election. In St Andre, Congress MLA Francisco Silveira is also known to be Monserrate’s man.
Throughout his political career, Monserrate has lost just one assembly election in 2017. He contested as a United Goan Party candidate in Panaji and lost to former Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker. He made his comeback this year when he joined Congress on the eve of the byelection and won the Panaji seat, the bastion of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar.