MARGAO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao must have traversed across the length and breadth of the State to drum up support for their respective party candidates in the run up to the May 7 polls.
Cuncolim Assembly segment, however, is one segment which is the cynosure of all eyes. The reason is not far to seek. The stakes seemed high in Cuncolim for the simple reason that the segment is represented by the Leader of the Opposition in the Goa Legislative Assembly, and where Chief Minister Pramod Sawant seemed determined to upset the Congress’ applecart as evident by the way he has gone about mobilising the party cadre and workers in support of candidate Pallavi Dempo.
In fact, the Chief Minister with Pallavi Dempo and Social welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, besides ex-Dy CM Chandrakant Kavlekar and ex-MLA Clafacio Dias have made frequent visits to Cuncolim with the sole agenda of ensuring that the Lotus bloom in the Assembly segment in the May 7 polls.
Equally determined to protect the Cuncolim fort from crumbling is Opposition leader Yuri Alemao, who seemed to have focused his attention on the constituency to give the much needed vote lead for Captain Viriato Fernandes, while at the same time moving around the State to drum up support for the party candidates in both North and South Goa.
Cuncolim has been a stronghold of the Congress over the years before the fort came crumbling down in the 2012 Assembly election, post-implementation of the delimitation of constituencies. One reason cited by political observers behind the dilution of Congress’ stranglehold over Cuncolim was the inclusion of areas from neighbouring Quepem constituency comprising of the village of Ambaulim and a part of Balli panchayat, having significant BJP presence.
Take note the Congress had regained its position in Cuncolim by winning the 2017 Assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The margin of victories in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections that followed, however, has been a subject matter of debate.
Against this backdrop, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s repeated presence in Cuncolim in the run up to the May 7 Lok Sabha poll explains his anxiety to tap the BJP vote bank, spread across the Cuncolim Municipal area, and the villages of Balli, Paroda, besides Ambaulim to reduce if not neutralise the Congress’ lead in the Assembly segment.
Poll statistics reveal that the Congress had led over the BJP by a slender lead of 750 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The Congress’ lead over the BJP increased to 2,619 votes in the 2019 election despite the presence of Aam Aadmi Party convenor Elvis Gomes in the fray on the AAP banner.
Incidentally, Opposition leader had wrested the seat from BJP’s Clafacio Dias by a margin of close to 3,000 votes in the 2022 Assembly election, around 2,974 votes to be precise. With the BJP making a determined bid to upset Congress’ applecart in Cuncolim, sources said the task before the Opposition leader is clear “ at least hold on to his margin of victory registered in the 2022 Assembly, if not improve the tally of votes.
The BJP duo of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai seemed working on a plan to make big in Cuncolim with the help of the dedicated cadre and the voters. On the other hand, Opposition leader Yuri is banking on his group of loyal workers, besides the silent majority of Congress voters spread across the villages of Cuncolim, Chandor, Guirdolim, Paroda, Ambaulim and Balli to take on the challenge posed by the Pramod-Subhash duo, setting the stage for a royal battle between the Chief Minister and the Opposition leader.
Cuncolim electorate
Males - 14,001
Females - 15,532
TOTAL - 29,533
Cuncolim 2022 Assembly results
Yuri Alemao (Cong) - 8,521
Clafacio Dias (BJP) - 5,547
Wilson Cardozo (RGP) - 2,226
Jorson Fernandes (TMC) - 1,154
Santosh Faldesai (IND) - 1,112
Prashant Naik (AAP) - 729
Sudesh Bhise (IND) - 294
Milagres Gonsalves (IND) - 71
Derick Dias (IND) - 44
Raymond D’Cruz (IND) - 29
