GOAN SPECIAL
-------------------------------------------
SANJAY BORKAR
PONDA
It was just one AAP meeting with the Goan youth at Ponda, but the presence of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal was enough to shake and rattle other major parties and get them rolling on an uneven political turf.
Kejriwal had interacted with youth across from Goa at the Savitri Hall in Ponda and though his meeting was scheduled at 3 pm, it got delayed by an hour as Kejriwal had stopped to visit Bhrahmeshanand Swamiji Maharaj at Tapobhumi- Kundaim, on his way to Ponda.
The meeting with Bhrahmeshanand Swamiji lasted for about 40 minutes and the increasing number of youth arriving at the venue was enough to send Congress and BJP party workers in a tizzy.
Mindful that the youth vote bank is crucial to the prospects of any party and that, a larger turnout would only reflect their mindset towards the AAP, a number of Congress and BJP workers contacted The Goan to ascertain how many youth had gathered in the Savitri hall.
Though the Savitri hall has a seating capacity of about 1,000 persons, the AAP had placed 450 chairs and hundreds of youth were standing in the hall.
In a bid to get their own estimates of the youth turnout, Congress and BJP workers got people to click photos of the audience and have these photos sent to them by mobile apps. Also interesting was the fact that both party workers were busy magnifying images of Kejriwal's meeting to check if any prominent personality had attended the meeting.
Speaking to The Goan, AAP Spokesperson and Ponda constituency incharge Surel Tilve said the party has been gaining popularity in Ponda.
“Kejriwal’s interaction with the youth of Goa at Savitri Hall definitely rattled both BJP and Congress, as they were reportedly trying to know how many youth were present at the venue. It is evident that they are baffled to see the response we received,” Tilve said.
“People know what Congress has done in the past and also believe that BJP has lied. We are getting support from Ponda, Priol and Marcaim. People are not happy with MLAs representing these constituencies. They are inactive and hence people will be with those who are active. The youth also wanted to know what kind of work AAP is doing in Delhi for public welfare,” Tilve added.
