the goan I network
MARGAO
Or, whether the nascent Goa Forward Party will make its presence in the taluka, where the party is contesting in two seats and has backed an Independent for the Navelim seat. And, whether the three Independents, Avertano Furtado, Benjamin D’Silva and Caitu Silva, will retain their respective seats by overcoming the BJP-tag? Or, whether the Lotus will bloom in Fatorda and retain its seat in Cuncolim?
Whether the Congress will form the next government will depend on the number of seats the party will win from Salcete, where the party had suffered decimation in the 2012 election, with the party winning only two out of eight seats.
NAVELIM: Luizinho’s fate rests on Muslim vote, Avertano banks on
Hindu electorate
Leading the pack in Congress’ resurgence in Salcete is State Congress president Luizinho Faleiro, who is locked in a close battle with sitting Minister Avertano Furtado. Poll statistics revealed that around 8,200 Hindus and 8,400 Catholics had turned up for polling for the Navelim seat, the Muslim turn out is pegged at around 4,600 votes. Local political observers say that Faleiro’s fate rests on the Muslim vote as any major split in the vote bank may have serious impact on the prospects of the State Congress president with the Catholic vote heading towards a vertical division amongst the candidates from the minority community.
On the other hand, the turnout of 8,200 voters belonging to the majority community has given a ray of hope for Faleiro’s rival Avertano, on condition that MGP candidate Satyavijay Naik does not pocket major chunk of the Hindu votes.
FATORDA: Vijai, Damu sound confident
Will Goa Forward Party Vijai Sardesai prove wrong all poll pundits and silence all those who have spread reports about his imminent defeat at the hands of arch rival and two-time former Fatorda MLA Damu Naik. While the BJP camp is bubbling with confidence that polling has favoured Damu in his comeback bid, Sardesai is not ready to concede any advantage for this arch rival, exuding confidence that he would romp home with a comfortable margin. The previous two battles between the bitter political foes were tied 1-1.
NUVEM: Mickky in close contest with Wilfred,
Vincent
Goa Su Raj Party chief Mickky Pacheco has not lost a single election since he made his electoral debut in 2002. He has changed political parties in every election, but questions are being raised in Nuvem countryside whether the ‘gamble’ will pay this time round as he is locked in a close contest with Congress nominee Wilfred D’Sa and NCP Vincent Rodrigues. And, the counting of votes will only reveal whether it’s Vincent Rodrigues or Mickky Pacheco, who has benefited from the Aleixo factor.
BENAULIM: Can Caitu,
Royla stop a Churchill homecoming
Will Churchill Alemao make a political comeback in Benaulim after a gap of 15 years? Or, will the four-time MLA finally make inroads into Colva village, where a lead had eluded him all these years in his career spanning over two decades. Questions are also being raised along Salcete coastal belt whether Independent Caitu Silva or AAP Royla Fernandes will manage to stop the former PWD Minister from making a comeback.
CUNCOLIM: Will BJP cash in on 4-way split in secular votes or will Joaquim ward off the fierce challenge?
The Lotus had bloomed in Cuncolim in 2012 following a vertical split in the non-BJP vote. This time around, questions are being raised in local political circles whether sitting BJP MLA will capitalise on the four-way split in the secular vote or whether two-time former MLA Joaquim Alemao will ward off a serious challenge from friend turned foe Clafacio Dias and AAP Chief Ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes, besides Goa Vikas Party nominee John Monteiro.
MARGAO: BJP’s ‘surgical strike’ keeps Sharmad
in good stead, but
Digambar upbeat
Will former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat ward off BJP’s surgical strike in his Margao fiefdom and emerge as a serious contender for the Chief Ministerial post in the event of a hung Assembly? While the BJP is keeping its hopes alive, hoping the party’s surgical strike in the migrant basties will keep Sharmad Raiturkar in good stead, Digambar is not perturbed by the confidence in the rival camp.
CURTORIM: Pundits
favour Reginaldo, Arthur says it’s not over yet
Political observers are ready to bat on two-time Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco for the Curtorim seat, the never say die Arthur D’Silva is not ready to concede
victory for his Congress opponent. The hard-working BJP candidate for the Curtorim Assembly constituency says that all is not over and the counting on March 11 may spring a surprise to the poll pundits.
VELIM: Filipe Neri,
Benjamin frontrunners
in 12-member contest
Velim had the highest number of candidates in the fray in the February 4 Assembly poll, where former Congress Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues is making a strong comeback bid. However, sitting MLA Benjamin D’Silva’s camp
is equally optimistic that the one-time MLA will ward
off a strong challenge from
the three-time former
Congress MLA.
