Replace Mickky with Nilkanth

The state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party has urged national party president Sharad Pawar to drop tourism minister Francisco "Mickky" Pacheco from the Goa cabinet in favour of Tivim MLA and former parliamentary secretary Nilkanth Halarnkar, party insiders said. A delegation led by acting president Carmo Pegado, organising secretary Prakash Phadte and general secretary Avinash Bhonsale met Pawar in Delhi recently and also urged him to stop the continuing "maltreatment of the NCP by the Congress in Goa", sources said.

Although Pegado insisted that the delegation had gone to Delhi on a "courtesy call" to meet Pawar and to discuss party matters, highly placed sources said the delegation did ask Pawar to drop Pacheco from the cabinet as his "badboy image and recent casino caper" were hurting the party's image in Goa. Sources said Pawar himself had broached the subject about Pacheco's troubles and told the delegation that the Congress in Goa had also complained about the minister.

When asked to comment on moves to oust him, Pacheco said, "I am strongly on my feet with the blessings of my leaders. I know them and they know me. There are no corruption charges against me, nor any complaints against my administration. My aim is to make the party grow. I have enrolled about 4,000 members in two weeks and I am capable of enrolling more." He added that the casino issue had been resolved by police.