the goan I network
PONDA
The BJP is yet to succeed in its efforts to woo Govind Gawade into its fold, but the saffron party and other forces have not given up and are reportedly working in unison to get Govind Gawade to be the consensus candidate for a straight fight with sitting Priol MLA and MGP leader Deepak Dhavalikar.
Dhavalikar had won the seat last time with 12,264 votes, while Gawade had polled a significant 10,164 votes, but had lost due to a split in votes with Dhaku Madkaikar, brother of Pandurang Madkaikar.
Gawade had recently made his intentions clear of contesting the polls by amassing a large number of supporters to seek blessings of Goddess Mahalsa. Since then, BJP has been meeting up with Gawade in a bid to get him to contest on the BJP ticket.
Admitting that BJP had offered him to join the party, Gawade told The Goan that he is firm on contesting as an independent. “It’s okay if it is supporting me, but how can I join the party? It will be like I am betraying my supporters,” Gawade said.
Gawade’s supporters are not in favour of their leader joining the BJP as he had worked as an independent since the last many years and leaping into a party at this juncture could go against him.
Sources informed that since the last one week, BJP leaders have had meetings with Gawade to persuade him to join the party. However, Gawade has given the BJP a proposal to support him.
Gawade, leader of the Scheduled Tribe community, has significant influence in other constituencies of the State, where ST voters have a significant presence.
The BJP is eyeing Gawade’s influence to attract ST voters from other constituencies as well.
Speaking to The Goan, former speaker and former Priol MLA Adv Vishwas Satarkar said he was ready to sacrifice if Gawade joins the party. “We told him to join the BJP. He can easily win if he enters the BJP,” said Satarkar.
Asked if the BJP will still support Gawade if he did not join the party, Satarkar said: “How can it happen? If he doesn’t contest on our ticket, then either I or another candidate will contest on the BJP ticket.”
According to Satarkar, former Bhoma-Adcona sarpanch Sunil Bhomkar is on the party’s radar and the ticket may go to him if Gawade rejects the offer.
Bhomkar is also from the ST community and Priol constituency has over 10,000 ST votes.
According to analysts, a division of votes in the 2017 poll may benefit Dhavalikar, as it happened in 2012, but a straight fight would benefit Gawade.
When contacted, Dhavalikar said his victory was certain. “I know several forces, including the BJP, are against me and they will spend huge amounts to defeat me. The BJP also tried to defeat me the last time, but it couldn’t. I am winning this time too with a margin of 4,500 votes,” Dhavalikar said.
Dhavalikar claims to have the vote share of ST community and even from the BJP. “My rivals are under the impression that they have the support of the ST community. In reality, many ST voters are working for me,” he said.
“Independents may have personal benefits, but it doesn’t help the constituency,” Dhavalikar pointed out.
