MARGAO
After a decade of playing second fiddle to other players as part of the strategic tie-ups to keep the Congress at bay in the once minority stronghold, the BJP has firmly set its eyes on the Navelim Assembly constituency, with senior leaders making it clear that time has come to test political waters in the constituency on the Lotus symbol.
As the party leadership unveiled the new Navelim Yuva Morcha panel headed by Vinayak A Volvoikar, in a bid to further strengthen the base in the constituency represented by veteran Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro, BJP leaders said the party will fight
Assembly elections independently in Navelim and on the party banner.
BJP district general secretary Rupesh Mahatme said the BJP is now in a position to fight the Assembly election from Navelim constituency on its own.
“Considering our growing organizational base in Navelim and the fact that BJP leaders are elected as ZP and panchayat members in the constituency, the party will contest the Assembly election from Navelim in the future,” he said.
In the past, the party had extended strategic support to the Opposition candidates, both in the 2007 and 2012 Assembly elections, which resulted in the Congress losing the Navelim seat. In fact, for the first time in recent years, Navelim was not represented by the Congress in the Legislative Assembly for 10 long years, before Luizinho Faleiro contesting on the Congress banner won in the 2017 Assembly election.
While Faleiro was defeated in the 2007 election by then Save Goa Front supremo Churchill Alemao with the overt and covert support extended by the BJP, Churchill, who had contested on the Congress banner in the 2012 election, was defeated by Independent candidate Avertano Furtado with the backing of the BJP.
Avertano was later rewarded by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar by inducting him in his Cabinet as the Fisheries Minister.
Though Avertano had re-contested the subsequent Assembly election in 2017, he could not retain the seat despite the BJP’s support, as it was suspected that a section of the BJP leadership had declined to back the independent candidate over the party leadership’s refusal to field a candidate on the Lotus symbol. “We are in a position today to take on the Congress. Our organization has grown in strength in Navelim over the years. That BJP men have rose to become ZP members, panchayat representatives and even sarpanchas in Navelim indicates our growing presence in the constituency. The party has been closely associated with Navelim and has taken up development either through the partymen holding positions of powers or taking up the development work in the constituency like any other constituency,” Mahatme added.
He further said the party organization will prove its strength in Navelim in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls by giving huge votes for the party candidate and sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar.
