Team Herald

PONDA: With BJP severing ties with MGP just before election, the MGP votes in Ponda Taluka would play a major role in deciding the fate of victory of South Goa LS Candidate.

According to MGP Leader Sudin Dhavalikar in the LS Election in 2014 the South Goa seat was won by BJP with Narendra Sawaikar becoming a Member of Parliament. Sudin said that Sawaikar had got a lead of over 35,000 votes from three constituencies of Marcaim, Ponda and Shiroda, besides other constituencies of South Goa having MGP base. However, fed up with low level politics and midnight dacoity of two MGP MLAs by the BJP-led government, this time voters are not with BJP because they didn’t like the way the saffron party played politics with MGP which is party of Bahujans.

The former PWD Minister said “the BJP Candidate will lose the seat by heavy margin of votes as MGP decided to teach a lesson to BJP for causing a split and taking away two of MGP MLAs.”

Sudin also predicted that BJP, which won the South Goa seat, will lose by a margin of 35000 votes. He also predicted that its (BJP’s) North Goa candidate is also far behind victory.

Sources in MGP said the voters in Marcaim were reportedly furious over BJP sacking PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar from the cabinet. The voters learnt about the injustice meted to Sudin Dhavalikar by BJP when they joined a huge protest Padayatra rally at Ponda. Sudin had appealed voters at the rally to vote against BJP and accordingly his voters were expected to vote in favour of Congress instead of BJP.

Sources revealed that last time BJP received 11,000 votes, the highest from Marcaim. “This time it will be almost double than the last LS election and this will benefit Congress,” they predicted.

BJP had obtained a lead of around 4,000 votes from Ponda with support of the MGP last time but this time Congress MLA Ravi Naik is sitting MLA and Congress would also get lead in Ponda.

Further sources revealed that Shiroda has large number of Congress voters. Even though BJP Candidate Subash Shirodkar is expected to win the by-poll election more than half of the votes polled will go in favour of Congress because MGP is supporting Congress for LS polls and together it would be large share for Congress.

Further Priol Constituency that falls in North Goa is also expected to give sizeable votes to Congress as it has large MGP voters. Last time BJP got the lead of 13,000 votes due to the MGP support but though now independent MLA from Priol is supporting BJP, Congress would definitely attract a sizeable number of votes due to MGP leader Deepak Dhavalikar who has a major influence among people and thus Congress North Goa Candidate Girish Chodankar would benefit from it.

Sources from mining belt in the Usgao Panchayat which falls in Ponda Taluka but is included in Valpoi and North Goa Constituency said that mining dependents have voted against BJP. Similarly many voters in Dharbandora Taluka vented their anger against BJP, sources said, by not voting for the saffron party.