MARGAO
Candidates fielded by the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, besides independents have all filed their nominations for the by-poll for the Davorlim Zilla Panchayat seat on Thursday.
While the BJP has fielded its Navelim Mandal chief Paresh Naik as the candidate for the Davorlim by-poll, Leon Raikar will lead the challenge on behalf of the Congress party in the ensuing by-poll. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded former Aquem-Baixo Sarpanch Siddesh Bhagat as the party candidate.
Independents in the fray include Andrew Rebello, Bhagwan Ramesh Redkar, Joe Agnelo Dias, Murtuza Kuknoor, Pooja Pramod Naik. Kapil Babaji Desai has filed his nomination as BJP substitute candidate, while Myla Rocha has filed a similar nomination as a substitute candidate for the Congress nominee.
The saffron brigade came in strength at the office of the Returning Officer in the South Goa district Collectorate in support of party candidate, Paresh Naik. Besides Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar, top leaders, including former MP Narendra Sawaikar, Satyavijai Naik, who had lost the race for the ticket to Paresh, besides Urfan Mulla and others made their presence at the Collectorate.
On the other hand, Congress candidate Leon Raikar was accompanied to the office of the Returning Officer by party district president Savio D’Silva, Moreno Rebello and Everson Vales.
AAP candidate Sidesh Bhagat was accompanied by party leader, Chinchinim Panchayat member Gerson Gomes and others.
The by-poll for the Davorlim seat has been necessitated after the Davorlim ZP member Ulhas Tuenkar quit the seat after his election to the Goa Legislative Assembly in the 2022 election. Ulhas had twice won the Davorlim ZP seat on the Lotus symbol before he quit office in 2022 after his election as MLA.
