MARGAO
In a significant political development that is expected to give a big boost to the Congress’s campaign to regain the Guirdolim Zilla Panchayat seat, former South Goa Zilla Panchayat chairperson and Guirdolim BJP ZP member Sanjana Velip has quit the BJP to join the Congress on Wednesday.
Sanjana, along with husband Sanjay Velip, has been welcomed into the Congress fold by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao in the presence of Cuncolim Congress Block President Assiz Noronha and Cuncolim Congress Youth President Adv Sapnil Dessai.
The husband-wife duo has cited personal reasons behind their decision to quit the BJP’s primary membership and the posts they had held in the party. Sanjana Velip was the Secretary of the State BJP and Sanjay Velip was a member of the BJP’s South District Committee.
The Guirdolim Zilla Panchayat seat has been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes for the upcoming December 20 ZP election. Against this backdrop, the decision by Sanjana and her husband to quit the BJP and join the Congress assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that Sanjana had won the Guirdolim seat by polling significant votes from her home village Balli. Though the Congress had put in hard efforts to win the Guirdolim seat in 2020, the party’s failure to penetrate deep into Balli village had cost the Congress the seat.
Speaking to media persons, Alemao said that he is optimistic that the decision of the husband-wife duo of Sanjana and Sanjay Velip to join the Congress will strengthen the party.
“Definitely, their joining will strengthen our party. Sanjana Velip is serving as a Zilla Panchayat member, and along with her husband, they have a good connect with the people. I wish them good luck,” Alemao said.
“We welcome the people to join us in the interest of the public, to save Goa and to save the democracy of the country. The way this government is functioning, it is clear that it has only one agenda: dividing people and ruling. Today, robberies and dacoities are taking place in the State, but the government is doing nothing to stop the crimes,” Alemao said.
He added, “I am sure that even the BJP’s karyakartas are fed up with the way the government is functioning. Nothing is being done for the common man; it has failed to provide free LPG cylinders and also failed to give rights to women. If they were serious about women’s reservation, then they would have inducted at least one woman MLA in the Cabinet. The BJP is exposed on such issues, and I am confident that those who have self-respect and love for Goa will not stay in the BJP.”
