Churchill Braz Alemao (born 16 May 1949) is an Indian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Goa from March to April 1990. He is a former two-term Member of Parliament, representing South Goa from 1996 to 1998 and 2004 to 2007. He has also been a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly for four terms between 1989 and 2022, representing Benaulim and Navelim constituencies.
Personal life
Churchill Braz Alemao was born on 16 May 1949 to Braz Alemao in Carmona, Goa,
Portuguese India. He attended St. Mary’s High School in
Varca. Alemao married Fatima Fernandes Alemao on 20 February 1974, together they have one son and five daughters.
Political career
Alemao served as the chief minister of Goa for a brief period in the early 1990s. He later became an MP representing South Goa from 1996 to 1998.
Founding United Goans Democratic Party
Alemao founded the United Goans Democratic Party as a spinoff of the United Goans Party.
Shift to Congress, Chief Ministership and Member of Parliament
In the late 1980s, Alemao quit the United Goans Democratic Party and joined the Indian National Congress. He became Chief Minister for a 18 days as part of the Progressive Democratic Front led by Congress. He had to resign due to an internal split in the party. After that Luis Proto Barbosa became chief minister. Later, Alemao became an MP as Congress leader.
Save Goa Front
In March 2007, Alemao quit Congress and formed a regional party, the Save Goa Front. The party contested 17 seats and won 2, including his seat and
Aleixo Lourenco's. After the election, no party won a majority and the Save Goa Front joined the Congress-led alliance to form a government.
Return to Congress
In January 2008, Alemao merged the Save Goa Front with Congress. He continued as an MLA and Minister in Goa during this period.
March 2012 elections
In the March 2012 elections to the Legislative Assembly of Goa, Alemao lost to independent candidate Avertano Furtado by a margin of over 2000 votes.
His brother
Joaqium Alemao, who was then Minister in the Government of Goa, also lost as he could not retain his
Cuncolim constituency.
Churchill Alemao's daughter Valanka and Joaquim's son Yuri also lost the 2012 elections.
All four candidates from the Alemao family suffered defeat.
Churchill Alemao later blamed the then Chief Minister of Goa,
Digambar Kamat and the Electronic
Voting Machines for his defeat.
Entry into the Trinamool Congress
In 2014, after his daughter Valanka Alemao was denied candidature by the Indian National Congress party in the elections to the 16th Lok Sabha from the South Goa, Alemao resigned from the Indian National Congress and announced that he would contest the polls as an independent candidate.
Two days later, Alemao joined the Trinamool Congress and was formally inducted in the party by Madan Mitra, a Minister of State in the Government of West Bengal. He contested the elections to the 16th Lok Sabha from the South Goa (Lok Sabha constituency) as a candidate of the All India Trinamool Congress and was defeated by Narendra Keshav Sawaikar of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Alemao polled 11,941
Joining Nationalist Congress Party
On 17 October 2016 Alemao joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and declared his intent to contest the election on the NCP ticket. He won the Benaulim seat in 2017 Goa Legislative Assembly election.
Return to TMC
Alemao again joined TMC on 13 December 2021.
Other ventures
In March 2015, Alemao made his debut as a
Konkani language singer with the
Goan music "Radio Buyao," which was produced and composed by Sidhanath Buyão. He performed the track "Good Morning, Thank You," also composed by Buyão. By that time, Alemao had appeared in three
:
Dharun Kalliz (Merciless Heart), presented at Wembley Hall in
London, followed by
Bhat ani Vatt (Fields and Road) and
Ticket. Additionally, he was working on his first
tiatr as a playwright, titled
Ami Voitanv, Tumi Ye-ai (We Are Going, You Follow).
Football club
The football team Churchill Brothers, which competes in
I-League, is owned by Alemao's family.
His daughter Valanka Alemao is the CEO of the club.
