MAPUSA
The BJP which was cruising along in Mapusa has been struck with a dissenting blow with former Mapusa chairperson Ryan Braganza openly expressing his opposition to BJP candidate Joshua D’Souza and publicly announcing his support to Congress candidate Sudhir Kandolkar.
A BJP karyakarta, Braganza made it clear that he was very much in the BJP but had a problem with the party’s choice of candidate in Mapusa.
He said Joshua D’Souza has failed to perform during his two-and-half-year tenure as an MLA and he had also spoken to the party leadership about it.
“As the vice-chairperson of GSIDC for the last two years, Johsua could have easily diverted funds for the development of Mapusa but it was not to be. The bus-stand has been inaugurated in a hurry just to beat the poll code as work on it is still going on,” Braganza said.
Continuing his tirade against the Mapusa MLA, he said during the Covid crisis Sudhir was seen among the people while Joshua stayed at home.
He further said that he was supporting the candidature of Sudhir Kandolkar as a sign of protest against the BJP’s candidate and for the development of Mapusa.
Braganza’s decision to back Sudhir will not only give the opposition Congress a psychological advantage but may open the floodgates for more dissenting voices to come out in the open.
If sources in the BJP are to be believed, some more leaders from the saffron camp also support the view of the former chairperson.
A month back, another former Mapusa chairperson and State executive member of the BJP, Sandip Falari had said that there was a wave against current Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza and people of Mapusa wanted a new face.
“Mapusa this time is yearning for change which is visible among all sections of its population, cutting across all religions, castes and classes. This time around Mapusa wants a new face to represent itself in the Legislative Assembly,” Falari had said in a post on social media that went viral.
Same persons opposed Sudhir as Mapusa chairperson, says Joshua
MAPUSA
Dismissing the allegations levelled against him, Mapusa MLA and BJP candidate, Joshua D’Souza said that people who have decided to support Congress candidate Sudhir Kandolkar were the same persons who opposed him as the chairperson.
D’Souza also said that those who were not happy with his candidature should leave the party and support whomever they want to.
“These are the same people who opposed Sudhir (Kandolkar) as the chairperson stating that he would make a mess of Mapusa and now they want to make him the MLA,” D’Souza said.
BJP karyakarta and former chairperson of Mapusa, Ryan Braganza on Thursday shared the dais with former minister Michael Lobo and other Congress leaders and extended his support to Congress candidate Sudhir Kandolkar in Mapusa.
Continuing, D’Souza said that he did not want to waste time complaining against anyone for anti-party activities and left it to the party to decide.
“You cannot remain in the party and support a candidate from another party. You either leave and support whomever you want to or stay back and back the party nominee. It is as simple as that,” he said.
He further said the entire BJP workforce worked as a team during the Covid 1 and Covid 2 crisis and Ryan Braganza was part of the team.
