PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant led the State in recalling the memory of its first Chief Minister, Bahusaheb Bandodkar on Saturday which is the latter’s 50th death anniversary.
Sawant paid floral tributes at the Miramar samadhi of Bandodkar, arguably the most revered figure in the State’s post-colonial political history. The Bandodkar family members and Power Minister, Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavlikar were also present there.
Meanwhile, Sawant has announced that a football tournament will be organised through the Goa Football Association (GFA) in Bandodkar’s memory.
He was a football lover and therefore in celebration of his 50th death anniversary, the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Cup football tournament will be organised in the next three months through the GFA. Sawant said.
For several years, the Bandodkar Gold Cup football tournament was among the country’s top football competition where top clubs from across the country vied for honours. The tournament went defunct in 1990s.
Meanwhile, Sawant also said, that Bandodkar’s samadhi in Miramar will also be renovated and work will begin within the next two months. It will be completed within a year, he added.
Bandodkar who founded the MGP was immensely popular and became Goa’s first chief minister when his party won the 1963 elections, despite he not having contested any seat. He took oath as CM and won a bye-election from Mandrem.
He is by far the most revered political leader of the State, chiefly for his role in promoting education by building government schools in villages thus giving rural poor in Goa access to formal learning.
Sawant said, the renovation work of all these government schools which are in bad shape, will also be completed this year in his honour.
Meanwhile, in Ponda, Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik paid tributes to the leader at his statue there. Official events to pay homage were also held in other parts of Goa.
