VASCO
The BJP secured a clear victory in the Sancoale Zilla Panchayat constituency, with first-time candidate Sunil Gawas winning one of the most closely watched contests.
Gawas polled 6,710 votes. He was followed by Independent candidate and TMC State Convenor Mariano Rodrigues with 4,808 votes, Congress candidate Vasant Naik with 3,065 votes, and Independent candidate Achut Naik with 2,078 votes.
With eight candidates in the fray, the contest was multi-cornered. However, the BJP’s strong organisational push, led by Power Minister Mauvin Godinho, helped the party maintain a clear lead throughout the counting process.
The trend became clear early in the day, as the BJP took a strong lead in the first round and held on to it in the later rounds, eventually winning by a margin of 1,902 votes.
The first round, which covered the key areas of Chicalim and Dabolim, proved crucial. Gawas polled 2,819 votes, while Congress candidate Vasant Naik received 1,371 votes, giving the BJP an early lead of about 1,448 votes.
This round reflected the BJP’s organisational strength in these areas, backed by active ground-level campaigning by Chicalim Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav and Deputy Sarpanch Aishwarya Korgaonkar.
Mariano Rodrigues emerged as a strong contender from the start. In the first round, he polled 672 votes, closely followed by Achut Naik, who secured 593 votes, keeping the race for second place open.
In the second round, the BJP continued its steady performance with 1,616 votes. Rodrigues followed with 1,508 votes, while Congress polled 1,107 votes. Achut Naik surprised observers by securing 1,210 votes, briefly shifting the contest dynamics.
The final round changed the order below the top spot. Rodrigues topped the round with 2,613 votes, securing second place overall with 4,808 votes. The BJP polled 2,233 votes in this round, enough to maintain its lead. Congress saw a sharp drop, polling only 574 votes, which placed Vasant Naik third with a total of 3,065 votes.
Achut Naik, who lost momentum in the final round, finished fourth with 2,078 votes.
Kannadiga leader Rajesh Sadashiva Shetty polled 1,161 votes, a figure that, while not placing him among the frontrunners, had an impact on vote margins.
In the end, the BJP’s early lead proved decisive.
