the goan I network
MARGAO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi, Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi, galaxy of political leaders, stars et al have all descended in Karnataka ahead of the May 12 Assembly election. And, they will all return to the neighbouring state with eight days to go for curtains to come down on electioneering on May 10.
A host of political leaders from Goa too have hit the campaign for their respective parties and many more are bracing up to cross the border to join the electioneering, especially in the Konkani speaking Assembly constituencies spread across the North Kanara district, bordering the state.
In the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment in the USA, the BJP has lost a star campaigner from Goa. The party, however, has drafted a number of party leaders to drum up support for the party candidates contesting from Karwar, Ankola, Yellapur, Bhatkal and other segments spread across the North Kanara district.
With former MLA Damu Naik constantly shuttling between Goa and Karnataka since the last one month, being the party coordinator for the North Kanara district, former BJP Ministers, including former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly Rajendra Arlekar, Mahadev Naik and Vijai Pai Khot have all descended on the Karnataka battle field.
Damu pointed out that while Rajendra Arlekar has descended in Yellapur, Mahadev has made his presence felt at Bhatkal. He said that Vijai Pai Khot has been entrusted the responsibility of campaigning for the party in Ankola. “Ministers and MLAs may also join the campaign depending on the instructions of the party leadership”, Damu told The Goan, while saying he has been coordinating between Goa and the North Kanara district for the last one month.
The Congress too is bracing up to draft party leaders to boost up the party campaign in the North Kanara district. If newly appointed Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar is to be believed, the party has so far given clearance for leader of the Opposition Babu Kavlekar and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to join the campaign in the neighbouring state.
Sources in the Congress said that the State Congress Mahila Chief Pratima Coutinho and her group of Mahila Congress, including South Goa district Mahila president Savitri Kavlekar, are willing to join the party campaign in Karnataka, but are apparently waiting for a nod from the party leadership.
In the last Assembly election, many a leader from Goa led by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had descended in the neighbouring state to give a fillip to the party election campaign. In fact, BJP insiders say that Parrikar would have been a star campaigner from the Goa in Karnataka had he not gone to the USA for treatment.
Media reports suggests that Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi are all set to address around 65 rallies in Karnataka in the next 10 days before campaigning ends on May 10.
