PANAJI
Just three of Goa's 12 politicians who held the State's highest political office of Chief Minister went on to win a Lok Sabha election and enter the Indian Parliament, although six took a shot at it and two of them entered the upper House of Parliament from other States.
Making up the list of three former chief ministers who contested and won a Lok Sabha election in Goa are: Churchill Alemao (1996 and 2004), Ravi Naik (1998) and Francisco Sardinha (1998, 2009 and 2019).
Three other ex-CMs -- Luizinho Faleiro and the late, Manohar Parrikar and Dr Wilfred D'Souza -- also took shots at becoming MPs by fighting Lok Sabha elections but their bids were unsuccessful.
Five other former chief ministers never attempted a Lok Sabha election -- Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Sasikala Kakodkar, Pratapsingh Rane, Dr Luis Proto Barbosa, Digambar Kamat and Laxmikant Parsekar.
Incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant too is yet to contest a Lok Sabha election.
Francisco Sardinha and Ravi Naik, both became MPs when they won the 1998 Lok Sabha election in South and North Goa respectively barely three years after they had lost their respective assembly seats, Curtorim and Marcaim, in 1994.
Ravi Naik did make another attempt at the North Goa seat in 2014 but lost to incumbent MP, Shripad Naik. Sardinha on the other hand was successful in both his additional attempts, winning in 2009 and 2019. He has in fact never lost a Lok Sabha election.
Alemao first entered Parliament with his stunning victory in South Goa over five-time MP Eduardo Faleiro two years earlier in 1996. He also went on to contest again in 1998 but lost to Sardinha that year.
In a third attempt at the South Goa seat, Alemao won again in 2004 but lost in 2014 as a TMC candidate.
Parrikar contested the Lok Sabha elections from North Goa twice in 1991 and 1996 on behalf of BJP. He was unsuccessful both the times.
Luizinho Faleiro, who first became Chief Minister in 1998, contested the Lok Sabha elections from South Goa in 1984 as a candidate of the Goa Congress. He too was unsuccessful.
Dr Wilfred D'Souza first contested the Lok Sabha election in 1999 from the South Goa seat on behalf of the NCP and lost. Five years later, he contested the North Goa seat as an NCP-Congress (UPA) candidate and lost again.
