CANACONA
Given the outcome of the bitterly fought assembly seat from Canacona constituency, the two defeated friends-turned-foes from the BJP can at-least get some solace by claiming victory of sorts by defeating each other at the hustings and in the bargain succeeding in handing victory to a third contestant.
BJP candidate Vijay Poi Khot’s camp can claim win of a mini battle by securing second place and pushing former minister and BJP rebel candidate, Tawadkar to the third spot. Tawadkar was all the while claiming that he would be in the list of first two, if a win eluded him at all.
Khot arrived at the pre-election scene at the last moment, got the party ticket, but was forced to fight a fierce rebellion within the rank and file of Tawadkar-led entire BJP block and yet overcame the odds to get more votes than Tawadkar.
If not for the unexpected loss being felt in Tawadkar’s camp, the members of the Tawadkar’s camp too claims that Tawadkar has instead won the mini battle by denying BJP the Canacona seat, though the camp failed to maintain the ex-minister’s standing in the first two names.
After being snubbed by the BJP for the party ticket at the last moment, Tawadkar ensured that if he cannot win without BJP’s representation, the saffron party would pay the price by losing the Canacona seat.
Tawadkar overcame the might of the BJP to ensure that Khot would not emerge victorious by garnering as many as 7,739 votes against BJP’s 8,745.
While Tawadkar camp feels it is sweet revenge for the injustice caused by party leaders to the ST leader of Canacona, Poi Khot camp feels Tawadkar’s ego has cost the party dearly in retaining the seat, which the party nurtured for two decades.
Incidentally, given the lead of 2,108 odd votes for the winning Congress candidate Isidore Fernandes, the seat would have been in the safe kitty of BJP by a lead of over 5,631 votes, if the votes polled by Poi Khot and Tawadkar are put together.
