MAPUSA
Young Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza may have missed the bus but the swearing of Tivim MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar as a minister has given the much touted BJP stronghold of Bardez a second representation in the cabinet.
The inclusion of Halarnkar the senior MLA who was also a minister in the past will give a big boost to the BJP in Bardez which has set its eyes on the 2024 parliament election.
Earlier, Porvorim MLA, Rohan Khaunte was the only minister from Bardez who made it to the cabinet in the first round along with eight others on March 28.
Bardez was considered as BJP’s bastion after the party in a historic election won six out of seven seats in the taluka in 2012 when the saffron party got a simple majority under the leadership of former CM Manohar Parrikar.
Except for Porvorim where Rohan Kaunte had opened his account as an Independent candidate, BJP candidates had won in Mapusa, Calangute, Siolim, Saligao, Aldona and Tivim in that election.
The taluka was immediately given three representations in the cabinet with late Francis D’Souza, Dilip Parulekar and Dayanand Mandrekar getting plump portfolios.
However, in 2017 assembly polls the numbers dwindled with only three of BJP MLAs getting elected from the taluka.
After cobbling up an alliance government in the State with Goa Forward Party and the MGP, former CM Manohar Parrikar had again four ministers in his cabinet from Bardez.
But mid-way in 2019, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who took over the reins of the State after the demise of Parrikar, had given only one ministerial berth in his cabinet from Bardez.
The BJP failed to perform well in the just concluded 2022 assembly polls from Bardez, and therefore decided to give a second representation to the taluka to “strengthen” the party.
“Bardez is a big taluka with seven constituencies to reckon with. It’s our stronghold but of late we have suffered some reverses. We need to strengthen the party and get ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” said a senior party official.
“Secondly, Halarnkar is a senior member and a former minister who has a standing within his samaj. The party could just not ignore his claim for a ministerial berth,” he added.
