MARGAO
The BJP will again miss its tallest and most charismatic leader, former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, as the saffron brigade makes a determined bid to make inroads into minority Saxttidom in the May 7 Lok Sabha polls. And, so will be Parrikar’s Boys, who will be missing in action, with the leaders either switching sides or taking a political break.
In a strange coincidence, however, two of Parrikar’s bitter foes, besides a friend from Salcete, are now leading BJP's battle in the minority stronghold in a bid to pocket a few extra votes for the party candidate Pallavi Dempo.
One who was blamed by none other than Parrikar himself for the downfall of the BJP-led dispensation around 17 years ago in 2005, Cong-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat is leading the fight on behalf of the ruling party to keep the saffron flag flying high in the minority-dominated stronghold.
Another of Parrikar’s bitter critics is Curtorim's independent MLA Reginaldo Lourneco. A long-time foe of former BJP chief minister, Reginaldo -- who is supporting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government -- has not only welcomed the BJP South Goa candidate in his fiefdom of Curtorim, but has also given a call to his supporters and well-wishers to support Pallavi in the hustings.
Apart from the Digambar-Reginaldo duo, the BJP is banking on the congress turncoats in Salcete. The BJP is heavily relying on Salcete's lone Minister in the BJP government, Aleixo Sequeira to get the extra and bonus votes in the minority segment of Nuvem. One who had shared a close rapport with the late Parrikar, Aleixo has kicked off his campaign for the BJP by having a host of interactions with his well-wishers with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in tow, indicating that the congress-turned-BJP heavyweight is leaving nothing to chance in a bid to give the extra votes for the BJP and reduce the vote margin of his former party, the Congress.
Former Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias, who bit the dust in the 2022 Assembly election at the hands of Yuri Alemao of the Congress, is another Congress turncoat seen actively campaigning in the Cuncolim Assembly segment to drum up support for the BJP candidate.
Of the trio comprising Digambar, Reginalo and Aleixo Sequeira, the Congress-turned BJP Margao MLA seemed to have taken charge of the BJP campaign not just in his fiefdom Margao, but Salcete as well. This has become evident as the former Congress chief minister, who returned to the BJP fold after 17 years, has been seen campaigning for the party not only in Margao, but across Salcete, including the minority-dominated segments of Benaulim, Velim, Navelim, besides Fatorda.
In fact, it is a sheer irony that while the BJP had repeatedly failed to bomb Kamat’s Margao fort in many a Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the last 17 years, the party is now pinning its hopes on Kamat to give a huge lead in the Margao segment and tap his connections in Salcete for a few extra votes for the party candidate.
