PANAJI
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shifted gears in its bid to retain power six months in the runup to the 2022 assembly elections with the arrival of its national president J P Nadda on a two-day visit in which he met ministers, MLAs and party office bearers individually at a city hotel on Saturday.
There was no official interaction between Nadda and journalists through the day but according to BJP State president, Sadanand Shet Tanavade, he chaired a series of meetings collectively and individually with ministers, top office bearers and MLAs among others to ascertain the party’s preparedness for the polls due to be held in early 2022.
The term of the current assembly ends in mid-March and Goa is clubbed with the three big Northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa in a round of State elections that could be a challenge to the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Nadda who will be here until Sunday evening is also expected to hold crucial deliberations with the BJP’s “core committee” besides office bearers of the 40 Mandal committees as well, according to Tanavade.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant commenting on Nadda’s visit said it will help strengthen the party organisation and also tremendously boost the morale of workers.
“I am confident that BJP will win the upcoming elections with absolute majority,” Sawant said, adding that elections will be held on schedule, tentatively in February 2022.
Earlier on Saturday, several ministers and legislators filed out of the city hotel in Panaji after meeting Nadda but not many were willing to speak to the media.
Panaji MLA, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, however, told reporters that it was a “brainstorming session” of sorts related to the preparations for elections.
“He sought to find out what are the difficulties faced by MLAs in their respective areas pertaining to preparations for elections,” Monserrate said.
Cabinet Minister and Independent Priol legislator, Govind Gaude, also had a tete-a-tete with the BJP national president. Gaude is on record that he is willing to contest the next assembly elections from Priol on a BJP ticket.
Ports Minister, Michael Lobo said Nadda held a meeting with legislators where the MLAs were asked to speak out regarding the issues in their constituencies related to preparations for polls.
“As national president he has come to assess the party’s preparations for elections and how election work which has commenced in Goa is progressing,” Lobo told reporters at the hotel.
Earlier Nadda had visited the vaccination centre located at the Don Bosco campus in the capital city and praised the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the State by the Sawant-led government.
This is Nadda’s first formal visit to the State since assuming charge as national president of the party.
The BJP’s national general secretary incharge of Goa, CT Ravi, had arrived in Goa on Friday to oversse and manage Nadda’s official engagements during the latter’s two-day visit.
