the goan I network
MARGAO
Exuding confidence that the BJP will win the two Lok Sabha seats as well as the three bypolls for Shiroda, Mapusa and Mandrem, BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar on Saturday said the tally of the BJP in the state Assembly will touch 17 on May 23.
He also did not rule out the possibility of any more MLAs or senior leaders from other parties joining the BJP in the near future.
Addressing the media after welcoming a group of people from Cuncolim constituency led by social worker Sudesh Bhise into the BJP, Tendulkar said the party has already completed two rounds of campaigning and the third round will take off mid-next week after the Zambaulim gulal.
“I am happy over the party’s campaign in South Goa. Party candidate Narendra Sawaikar has already filed his nomination papers and has completed two rounds of campaigning,” he said and added, “corner meetings have been planned in all the 20 Assembly segments in the next few days in order to reach out to the people with the achievements of the Modi government and performance of late Manohar Parrikar. To a question, Tendulkar said the BJP will not only garner the strong BJP votes, but has exuded confidence that thousands of Congress workers in all the Assembly segments will vote for the BJP this time to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is re-elected as the Prime Minister. Saying that the MGP factor will in no way impact the prospects of the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha or the bypolls, the BJP chief said the party will garner more votes in the areas of Sanvordem, Sanguem, Ponda, Shiroda and Madkai. “The MGP had polled just 100-odd votes in Fatorda and some 320 votes in Quepem. The MGP candidate and other candidates will lose their security deposits in the Shiroda bypoll,” Tendulkar said.
On the absence of Ramesh Tawadkar when Narendra Sawaikar filed his nomination papers on Thursday, Tendulkar said that the former has been entrusted the task of manning the Assembly segments of Canacona, Cortalim, Quepem, Cuncolim and Quepem.
