PANJIM: Why did the BJP Lok Sabha candidates not fare well in their 'new conquest' constituencies? Which are these constituencies and was it a wrong expectation from its voters? Was it wrong to believe that just because BJP had more MLAs in the South due to ‘inorganic growth’, it would win? Or was the one-to-one fight in South Goa, unfortunate for the BJP?
Dissecting the BJP’s performance on the Herald TV debate on June 4, political analyst Dr Manoj Kamat, said, “BJP never expected such a voting pattern, especially in the constituencies of Ponda, Shiroda, Sanvordem and Sanguem. They thought these constituencies could give them a higher margin. This did not happen.”
Why did the BJP voter not make this happen? It was because there was a palpably wrong expectation that this would happen, Dr Kamat added.
“BJP’s victory was a political aberration and it was due to a split in votes. It is wrong to believe that because you have a greater number of MLAs in the South, which is because of inorganic growth (defections), it can give you victory in the South,” Dr Kamat remarked.
Though the BJP went all guns blazing and was confident of victory in the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, Dr Kamat said it was a difficult proposition. “It was a difficult game to fight when BJP had to fight one-on-one. And this time, unfortunately for the BJP, the fight was one-on-one. It was also felt that the election was fought on religious lines. When you see consolidation happening and the kind of consolidation –Benaulim has given Viriato a lead of almost 14,000, Velim has given a lead of almost 13,000, Nuvem has given a lead of almost 11,000. This was enough to wipe out all the lead in the Hindu-dominated areas,” Dr Kamat pointed out.
Also, the one-on-one fight proved costly to the BJP in South Goa. “Had there been a third candidate, who was also a powerful candidate, or if there had been more than three candidates, you would have probably witnessed a different scenario. For instance, the lead of 13,000 in Velim could have shrunk to 9,000 or 8,000. This could have been a winning picture," Dr Kamat concluded.
Pallavi accepts defeat, congratulates Viriato
PANJIM: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) South Goa Lok Sabha candidate Pallavi Dempo, who lost to her nearest rival Captain Viriato Fernades, in the recently concluded general elections on Wednesday, said that she humbly accepts the verdict and congratulated Viriato Fernandes. In a statement, she said, “I humbly accept the verdict for South Goa and congratulate Viriato Fernandes. I also congratulate BJP, under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji, for being the single largest party nationally, and NDA for getting a majority.” "Despite our narrow defeat in South Goa, I promise to continue my commitment to serve the people with my social work, making a difference in women empowerment and for the youth, in education and skilling, as I have been doing for decades. Together, we will keep striving for a better South Goa," she said. Dempo also congratulated Shripad Naik for winning the North Goa Lok Sabha elections for a record sixth time, and thanked the central and State leadership of the party for the opportunity to be the BJP candidate for the South Goa constituency.
Dempo lost to Capt Viriato of Congress by a margin of 13,535 votes.