MARGAO
Salcete’s coastal belt, considered the heartland of the Christian minority community, has been the nemesis of the Bharatiya Janata Party over the years. Here, the BJP has virtually faced a drought there in every election, be it for the Goa Legislative Assembly or Lok Sabha.
The ground reality, however, has not deterred BJP’s South Goa candidate Pallavi Dempo from making her presence felt along the coastal belt, as she hopped from churches to temples along the belt on Friday seeking divine blessings for her electoral success.
With former Congress chief minister Digambar Kamat and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar in tow, Pallavi kicked off her campaign along the minority stronghold with a visit to the Holy Cross Church, Cavelossim, offered flowers at the Grotto of Our Lady and also visited the Colva Church, where she prayed for her success and the well-being of the local people.
After receiving the blessings from the Priest, Cavelossim village head, Sarpanch Dixon Vaz and locals had a brief interaction with Pallavi and the BJP leaders. Saying that she has visited the Holy Cross Church, Cavelossim to seek blessings of the Almighty, Pallavi said she has prayed for the good of the people.
Sarpanch Dixon thanked Pallavi for paying a visit to Cavelossim, considered the hub of starred resorts and hotels in down South. “At least you have come to our tiny village. We are happy that as a candidate contesting the May 7 Lok sabha, you have come to seek support of the local people. We appreciate your visit. I am sure people will also appreciate your presence,” Dixon said.
The Cavelossim Sarpanch took the opportunity to highlight the issues plaguing the coastal village, bringing to Pallavi’s notice issues such as CRZ, fishermen’s livelihoods and tourism-related issues. Given that the Dempos are actively involved in the field of education and sports, Dixon suggested to Pallavi to explore the possibility of taking up the village school and the playground for upgradation.
Pallavi with Digambar Kamat and former Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar later visited the temple at Benaulim before having an interaction with the karyakartas at the Mahalaxmi Temple at Colva.
In his address, Kamat said the upcoming election is not an election to decide who will represent Benaulim or which part will form the government in Goa, but an election that will determine the future of India. Without speaking much on the BJP candidate, Kamat focused more on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s achievements over the last 10 years and his vision for the future.
