OLD GOA
The BJP-MGP alliance is hanging in the balance, with leaders from both parties blaming each other for the near breakup in the partnership between both the parties.
But for St Cruz constituency, the current situation has come as a blessing and local leaders have resumed their demand that BJP should field its candidate here because of the huge support that the party enjoys.
The St Cruz BJP block has promised to make the Vijay Sankalp Melawa a huge success to show the party leaders that it is capable of winning the constituency hands down.
The melawa will be held on December 21 at A Estrela at 6.30 pm, with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Deputy CM Francis D’Souza, BJP President Vinay Tendulkar and other party leaders in attendance.
Speaking at a media conference on Saturday, BJP’s Vice-President Anil Hoble informed that the workers will make the melawa a huge success to show that the BJP has the capability to win here.
“Such type of melawa is happening for the first time in St Cruz constituency, and we have set a target attendance of 3,500 people,” Hoble informed, while stating that it will send out a clear message of the capability of the BJP’s strength.
Hoble then came down heavily on MGP for not following alliance dharma, and insisted that MGP will not have its way if it again forms alliance with BJP. “Earlier, there was a good relationship between both the parties due to which MGP got what they demanded. But now, we will set the conditions and not them,” he thundered.
On the St Cruz seat, Hoble said that the BJP will field a candidate here, whether there is an alliance or not. “Last time, the BJP conceded the seat to MGP, but this time that won’t be the case,” he added.
“In last elections, the MGP candidate was third, whereas in the previous election, I had lost by a margin of just 40 votes,” informed Hoble, while pointing out that MGP has no identity in St Cruz.
Speaking on the subject, BJP’s General Secretary Hemant Golatkar informed that the votes that the MGP candidate got last time around was because of BJP's support.
“During the last elections, the same people who were responsible for the defeat of MGP are now being projected as leaders of MGP,” said Golatkar, adding that BJP workers deserve their own candidate this time around.
“We will tell the party to look at our work here wherein 8,000 people have benefited of various government schemes. The only thing that is lacking in St Cruz is development and that too, because of non-cooperation from the PWD department,” he added.
St Cruz BJP Block President Girish Uskaikar, Pramod Kamat, Hemangi Golatkar and others were also present at the news conference.
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BJP ticket aspirants sing unity tune
THE GOAN NETWORK
OLD GOA
Even though the St Cruz BJP block has demanded that the St Cruz constituency should be contested by the BJP, question arises over the unity between the prospective candidates for the seat.
When questioned by The Goan on this front, all the leaders who were present for the media conference, including the frontrunners Anil Hoble, Hemant Golatkar and Girish Uskaikar, sang the unity tune.
“We will support the candidate chosen by the party,” they said in one voice.
Hoble went a step further and stated that BJP is a disciplined party, where the party’s decision is final and binding on all.
“The success of the melawa will prove it all,” Pramod Kamat opined.
The leaders also informed that a list of prospective candidates has already been sent to the party, but they refused to reveal the names.
Meanwhile, block president Uskaikar informed that there is a need of a BJP MLA in St Cruz which is way behind in terms of development.
“Successive MLAs have neglected the constituency and only a BJP MLA will be able to do justice to the constituency,” he added, while outlining it as one of the main reasons behind them demanding a BJP candidate in St Cruz.
