Mahadev Naik rejects speculation he didn’t put in enough effort in Shiroda

Team Herald 

PONDA:  Rejecting the speculation that he had not put in enough effort during the campaigning and poll day, Congress candidate Mahadev Naik expressed his confidence at securing a victory at the Shiroda by-poll.

Responding to the speculation that he would finish third in the race, he said that people feel that he is not in the race because he was campaigning with just a handful of people while his rivals BJP and MGP were seen with a large group of supporters.

“I don’t believe in campaigning.  During the last election, I had campaigned with a big group and even managed to bring a crowd of 8,000 supporters but still lost. When you campaign with a big numbers, your rivals get to know who is supporting you and then they try to lure these supporters to split and change sides. My rivals succeeded in doing so last time and so this time, I deliberately changed my strategy,” said Mahadev adding that he got his ticket at the last moment where he got only 21 days to campaign.

Elsewhere, the feeling in Shiroda was that it would be a neck and neck fight between the BJP candidate Subhash Shirodkar and MGP candidate Deepak Dhavalikar.

BJP supporters say that there are many factors that would make Shirodkar victorious and that despite the efforts of his rivals, even the bahujan community wanted him as their leader.

“People not only want development, but they also want the PM Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. The people of Shiroda are with me,” Shirodkar said expressing confidence at securing victory. 

On the other hand, supporters of Dhavalikar also they are “200 per cent” sure of the MGP president winning the by-poll. 

Deepak alleged that like the last assembly election in Priol, this time too, his rivals attempted to malign his image by distributing defamatory pamphlets. “But the public and the women in particular would teach them a lesson for these campaign tactics. All the five BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha and the three by-polls will be defeated. Unemployment, mining, CRZ and many issues affecting Goa need to be solved on priority,” Deepak said.