TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Goa will kick off with the election campaign for 2014 Lok Sabha on October 18, which incidentally coincides with the birthday celebrations of North MP Shripad Naik.
The party has also decided to appoint coordinators at each of the 40 constituencies and booth level assistants (BLA) to focus on various aspects of electioneering, rallies and reaching out to the masses across the State.
The announcement was made at a party State-level meeting called to discuss the Lok Sabha elections as well as the MP’s birthday celebration, at Gomantak Maratha Samaj Saturday.
Party President Vinay Tendulkar said the party has invited its official and workers for the event scheduled to be held at Campal from where campaigning will begin in full force. “The campaigning is underway but it will begin full fledged from that day onwards (October 18),” he told a section of reporters post-meeting.
“We will appoint BLAs for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, 40 coordinators at each constituency and one observer will be given the charge of two constituencies each,” he said responding to a question about the party’s campaigning strategies.
The meeting has also tackle Congress’ attempts to stain the saffron party by making ‘baseless allegations’. “The congress is making series allegations against the party over various issues but we don’t care. We know how to fight it out,” Tendulkar said.
With regards to Shripad Naik’s birthday celebrations, the party has appointed a 120-member committee under the chairmanship of chief minister Manohar Parrikar to chalk out a detailed plan to host the function. Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Sushma Swaraj is most likely to grace the occasion. Naik turned 60 on October 4.
Tendulkar informed that the committee will hold a series of meetings at all 40 constituencies from October 7-12 even as another meeting will be held on October 8 on a larger scale.
Earlier, during the meeting, the party leaders spoke at length about the financial schemes and other benefits offered by the party despite the mining ban.
“Goa is an example across the country…financial assistances and other schemes are being disbursed to the people despite mining ban,” Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said.
while addressing the gathering attended by party workers.
The meeting was also attended by Industries Minister Mahadev Naik, Forests and Environment Minister Alina Saldanha, Sankhlim MLA Pramod Sawant, Goa Law Commission Chairman Narendra Sawaikar, NRI Commissioner Wilfred Misquita among others.
