Parrikar wanted Digambar’s
defeat in Margao: Tanavade
MARGAO
Recalling how former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar was deeply hurt when incumbent opposition leader Digambar Kamat had quit the party, BJP President Sadanand Tanavade on Wednesday said history will repeat in Margao in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
“The BJP had created history by winning four seats in the 1994 Assembly election, including Margao. The defection by Kamat in 2004 to the Congress had left Manohar Parrikar hurt. In fact, Parrikar always wanted to see Digambar defeated in Margao. The time has come to teach the Margao MLA a lesson in 2022”, Tanavade said.
Interacting with the media at the BJP district office on Wednesday, he said Digambar should not speak about defections since he was the first BJP MLA to leave the party to embrace Congress after getting elected under the BJP banner in 1994.
Asked whether the party will field an old or new face to take on Kamat in Margao, Tanavade said the party has not given a thought on the candidate, but hastened to add that the party will take everyone along to take the symbol forward. “More than the candidate, we have to ensure the defeat of Kamat”, he asserted.
When his attention was drawn to the recently-held election for the Margao Municipal Council, the BJP president said the BJP had come close to rule the civic body, but lost by a couple of seats.
“Last time, the BJP had won only three seats in the MMC polls. We have improved our position to seven and have lost three seats by a whisker. Overall, the BJP had performed better against the Margao Civic Alliance floated by opposition MLAs Digambar and Vijai”, he said.
When asked whether there’s any possibility of the BJP coming to power in the Margao Municipality in view of the dissensions in the Margao Civic Alliance, Tanavade conceded that the BJP has no numbers to rule the body, but added that anything can happen in the civic body.
