Captured by : PHOTO FOR GODFREY_3
Photo caption.
Navelim BJP mandal workers led by president Damu Naik and ZP member Ulhas Naik at a rally at Shantinagar on Saturday. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Will Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stick to the time-tested strategy of backing an Independent in Navelim in the February 4 Assembly election to reap rich political dividends a la the 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls?
Or, will Parrikar and the BJP top brass change its strategy by fielding a party candidate on the Lotus symbol for Navelim, where the Congress in general and State Congress president Luizinho Faleiro in particular is making a determined bid to make a comeback after a decade?
These two questions have come to the fore as the BJP top brass is expected to take a firm call on the Navelim seat on Sunday, even as the local Navelim BJP mandal led by president Damu Naik and Zilla Panchayat member along with workers took out a rally in the party stronghold at Shantinagar in Navelim constituency on Saturday demanding that the BJP go alone in Navelim this time.
Though the mandal along with Damu and Ulhas have left the final decision for the party top brass, the duo, however, insisted that the time is ripe for the BJP to field a candidate in Navelim. “Our party base has grown steadily in Navelim over the years, and we are in a position to contest the election. We had in the past supported non-BJP, non-Congress candidates and Independents and defeated the Congress.
"Now, our workers insist that we field a candidate and test our strength in the constituency," Ulhas said.
When pointed out that the Congress may benefit electorally in the event the BJP decides to go alone, with the MGP fielding rebel BJP leader Satyavijai Naik for the Navelim seat, both Ulhas and Damu said that the party’s priority is to ensure that the party’s base remains intact in the constituency.
Sources in the local BJP informed that the party leaders appear a worried lot with Satyavijai Naik in the fray on the Lion symbol. A section of the party leadership feel that party’s traditional vote bank may go towards Satyavijai in the event the party does not field a candidate.
In 2007 election, the BJP workers had strategically voted in favour of Churchill Alemao to defeat Luizinho Faleiro with a comfortable margin. The strategy paid rich dividends again in the 2012 election when party workers backed Independent Avertano Furtado to send Churchill home.
Comparatively, the BJP had come a cropper in the 2002 when party Muslim face candidate Sheikh Jina had failed to stop Luizinho Faleiro’s victory for a record sixth time in a row.
