In North Goa, BJP MP and five-time Union minister Shripad Naik will contest with Congress MP Ramakant Khalap, and in South Goa constituency, Goa’s first female BJP candidate and businesswoman Pallavi Dempo will contest with former naval officer and Congress candidate Viriyatu Fernandes.
“People want stability. They don’t want a khichdi (multi-party) government,” said Yatish Naik, BJP spokesperson in Goa, expressing confidence in the party’s victory in both the seats.
“When they cast their votes, people need to think about who should lead the country for the next five years. Prime Minister Modi has given firm leadership to the country. He has become a world leader, and that is an important factor,” the BJP leader said.
When it comes to infrastructure like public facilities, “people have witnessed development under BJP rule,” Naik added.
“People want stability. They want stable administration. The BJP will win the two seats in Goa and cross the 400 mark in the country,” he said.
However, Forward Goa Party general secretary Durgadas Kamat claimed that even with voters not expressing their discontent openly, “strong anti-government sentiments are still thriving”.
GFP is a partner in the India bloc.
The government has failed to address basic issues like unemployment in the state. Kamat said the state government had failed to restart the mining industry in the state and had also not provided corruption-free governance.
The BJP government also failed to fulfill the assurances given by it during the Goa Assembly elections, the GFP leader added.
“It is on the India Caucus to convert these sentiments into votes. I am sure both the Alliance candidates will win. The India Alliance candidate is getting an overwhelming response to his campaign. People are volunteering and attending meetings,” he said.
The 2019 elections saw MP Naik win the North Goa seat by 2,44,844 votes, defeating Congress candidate Girish Chodankar, while Congress MP Francisco Sardinha defeated BJP’s Narendra Sawaikar by a narrow margin of 9,755 votes in South Goa.
Naik, who has represented the North Goa seat in the previous five elections since 1999, is facing “strong discontent” this time, said Sunil Kauthankar, general secretary of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee.
“Nike has failed to perform over the past five terms, and that is why people are looking for change,” Kauthankar said.
He also claimed that people, including local BJP leaders, are having difficulty accepting Pallavi Dempo, CEO of Dempo Industries, as she is not part of the party cadre.
“There is discontent among voters. Cadres are also not accepting Dembu as she does not belong to the cadre. She has been selected by the BJP high command and given a ticket to contest from South Goa,” the Congress leader added.
The Grand Old Party has placed its hopes in Navy veteran Fernandez against Dembo.
“Fernandez is an ex-Navy man. He has the nation’s interest at heart. He will win in his constituency, given the support he has received,” Kauthankar said. PTI RPS Aro Mah Mah
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