MAPUSA
The BJP has effectively sounded the election bugle in Goa, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, ministers and MLAs taking to the streets on Wednesday as part of the party’s statewide ‘Seva Jyoti Yatra’, turning government schemes into the centrepiece of its three-month political outreach.
The exercise, launched across all 20 constituencies of North Goa, saw BJP workers participate in motorcycle rallies and public programmes, signalling that the ruling party has already shifted into election mode well ahead of the polls.
Sawant launched the campaign in Sanquelim, while ministers and MLAs led similar programmes in their respective constituencies.
The BJP plans to continue the outreach from October to December, taking Central and State government schemes to voters.
The timing and scale of the campaign have given the exercise a clear political overtone, with the party seeking to showcase its governance record while simultaneously strengthening its organisation on the ground.
The BJP is also planning ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabhas’ in all three districts to push Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision and the development agenda of the Central government.
Sawant pitches
‘double-engine’ return
Speaking at Mapusa, Sawant sought to link the BJP government’s 15-year rule in Goa with the party’s organisational strength and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while making a clear pitch for another term.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year journey, driven by the feeling of ‘nation first’, has been one of extraordinary hard work. The transformation in Goa over the last 15 years is the result of the selfless efforts of our workers,” Sawant said.
He expressed confidence that the BJP would return to power and form a “double-engine government” in Goa once again.
The North Goa leg of the yatra culminated at the Hanuman Natyagraha in Mapusa after rallies were held across the district’s constituencies.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade and MLAs including Joshua D’Souza, Deviya Rane, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Faldessai, Premendra Shet, Chandrakant Shetye and Kedar Naik participated in the programme.
Modi and other senior BJP leaders also addressed party workers virtually.
The Mapusa programme was followed by a city procession before the formal conclusion of the yatra.
With ministers and legislators now tasked with taking the government’s achievements directly to voters for the next three months, the BJP’s ‘Seva Jyoti’ campaign has increasingly begun to resemble a pre-poll mobilisation drive rather than merely a government-scheme outreach programme.
