MARGAO
Can the ruling BJP win another 12 seats to retain its stronghold over the South Goa Zilla Panchayat? Or, will the Congress go all out to reach the magic figure of 13 seats to upset the ruling party’s apple cart?
These questions has come into sharp focus as the two major political players are vying for honours with exactly five days to go for the election for the South Goa Zilla Panchayat.
On paper, the ruling BJP may appear strong, having opened its account by winning the Sancoale ZP seat unopposed. This means the BJP will need to win another 12 seats to retain its hold over the South ZP body.
The Congress, on the other hand, appears pinning its hopes on its traditional stronghold Salcete, where a total of nine seats are at stake.
Both the Congress and the BJP are contesting in 17 out of the 25 seats at stake. Election for the Navelim seat has been countermanded following the death of a candidate.
In minority Salcete, where eight seats are at stake (with election for the Navelim seat countermanded), the ruling BJP is in the fray in the two seats of Davorlim and Guirdolim. On the other hand, the Congress is contesting all the seats, with political observers saying the fate of the party in its plan to regain the South Goa ZP seat will depend on how the Congress candidates perform against the strong independents and candidates fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Aam Admi Party (AAP).
The Congress’ game plan appears simple “ win as many seats as possible from its Salcete stronghold and wait for the outcome of the battle elsewhere in the constituency, especially in the hinterland talukas of Ponda, Sanguem and Quepem, where the regional outfit MGP and Independents are engaged in a battle against the ruling dispensation.
The Congress, however, may face a strong challenge from the group of independents and the NCP to retain its supremacy in Salcete. The party is locked in a fierce battle in the two coastal seats of Benaulim and Colva against the Nationalist Congress Party and the Aam Admi Party.
That’s not all. The party will have to contend with a strong group of independents in Velim, Raia and Nuvem, coming under the areas of influence of ruling MLAs Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Wilfred D’Sa.
Congress leaders in private exude confidence of putting up a good show in Salcete. Compared to the situation eight months ago, party leaders in private say the situation is not bad for the Congress in its minority stronghold in the wake of the ongoing agitation against the ruling party over the three linear projects.
The BJP, on the other hand, is focusing in the party’s stronghold in the hinterland. Having opened its account in Sancoale, the party will be certainly anxious to win as many seats as possible in the party’s traditional stronghold and hope that the NCP and the Independents stop the Congress from having a field day in minority Salcete.
The BJP is contesting in only two of the nine seats in Salcete “ Davorlim and Guirdolim. That Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other party leaders had descended in these two seats to drum up support for the party candidates, indicates that the party is
The BJP top leadership must be pining hopes on Dy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias to win the Guirdolim seat. The Congress, however, appears going all out to bag the Guirdolim seat, by trying to capitalize on the anti-track doubling agitation and taking advantage of the entry of former MLA Joaquiim Alemao and son Yuri into the party.
