MARGAO
Will Independent candidate Cipru Cardozo manage to ward off the determined bid by the national parties, including the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to storm his fortress, was a question that did the rounds on the eve of the polling for the Navelim Zilla Panchayat by-election scheduled on Saturday.
The two-time sitting Navelim Zilla Panchayat member is facing a challenge to his throne which he has been presiding over for the last 10 years. While leaders of the national parties left no stone unturned to woo the electorate in support of their respective candidates, the Independent ZP member is apparently banking on his connect with the voters and the grassroot leaders, including the sarpanchas and panchas to keep him in good stead.
In the four-cornered contest, Cipru is being challenged by Congress’ Pratima Coutinho, AAP’s Matilda D’Silva and BJP’s Satyavijai Naik, with all the four players leaving nothing to chance to woo the electorate in their favour.
Elections for the Navelim ZP seat had to be countermanded following the death of Congress candidate Jose Santarita Coelho.
While the presence of Congress and AAP in the fray was on expected lines, the decision by the ruling BJP to throw its hat in the electoral ring has indeed come as a surprise for the Navelim voters. For, the BJP has little presence in the Catholic-dominated Navelim ZP constituency, comprising of the villages of Navelim, Telaulim, Dramapur-Sirlim and Sarzora.
Party leaders, however, in private say the party may emerge victorious if party candidate Satyavijai Naik manages to retain the 2,400 votes polled by the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the four villages and garner an additional 1,000 votes to its kitty.
Not to be left behind and considering the fact that Navelim has been the stronghold of the Congress over the years, Congress leaders led by Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat, GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, besides local MLA Luizinho Faleiro all descended on the ground to drum up support for party candidate Pratima Coutinho.
