MARGAO
In a surprise development, the ruling BJP has jumped in the fray for the Navelim Zilla Panchayat by-poll, with the party fielding senior leader Satyavijai Naik as the candidate in the ensuing election.
Though the BJP may not have a base in Navelim ZP seat, the decision to test the political waters comes against the backdrop of the fact that the traditional Congress vote is expected to split amongst the sitting ZP member Cipru Cardozo, Congress candidate Pratima Coutinho and AAP nominee Matilda D’Silva.
The BJP’s decision to field a candidate further assumes significance as the party has firmly set its eye on the Navelim Assembly seats in the 2022 election. In fact, Satyavijai was clear in saying that the party will treat the ensuing Navelim ZP by-poll as a semi-final before the final in 2022.
That Satyavijai was accompanied by senior party leaders, Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar and a host of local leaders, including Davorlim ZP member Ulhas Tuemkar, Urfan Mulla and others go to show that the party will go all out to wrest the seat from the Independent candidate.
And, if the Rajya Sabha MP is to be believed, the BJP plans to capitalise on WRD Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues’ influence in the villages of Dramapur-Sirlim and Sarzora, which are part of the Minister’s Velim Assembly constituency.
That’s not all. The ruling party has also decided to rope in both the Deputy Chief Ministers, Manohar Ajgaonkar and Chandrakant Kavlekar in the Navelim ZP campaign, anxious to capitalise on their contacts in the Mandopa-Modi area of Navelim village.
After the filing of papers, the Rajya Sabha MP said the BJP has fielded a candidate in Navelim to win the seat. When it was pointed out that BJP has not much base in the villages of Navelim, Telaulim, Dramapur and Sarzora, Tendulkar said the party has a sizeable vote in the ZP constituency, exuding confidence of wresting the seat.
Candidate Satyavijai Naik also exuded confidence of winning the seat. “The BJP has around 3,000 vote in Navelim ZP constituency,” he said, adding that the party would try to get the required votes to win the seat for the first time.
