PANJIM: While there is no dispute that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has remained undefeated in Panjim, the shrinking victory margin could be a concern.
Parrikar, who gave up his Defence Minister position to lead the State, after a fractured mandate in the 2017 general assembly elections, won the 2017 by-poll by a margin of 4803 votes. He returned to State politics, after regional parties made his return as Chief Minister, a condition for their support.
While the coalition partners also endorsed his candidature in the Panjim by-poll during the campaign, his reduced winning margin, by over 1000 votes within five years, could be of some concern to the BJP.
In 2012, Parrikar had garnered 11,086 votes against Congress’ Yatin Parekh’s 5018 votes wherein the victory margin was 6068 votes.
BJP claims the people of Goa welcomed him with open arms, and it is his charm and his connect with the people that led to his victory. He secured 9862 votes while Congress candidate Girish Chodankar got 5059 votes. The victory margin was 4803.
The CM is, however, unfazed with the decline in the winning margin. “Winning by a good lead is a big thing. People of Panjim have given a befitting reply to all the Opposition,” he said.
Comparing the two by-polls of 2015 and 2017, Parrikar’s victory margin is a little less than what Siddharth Kunkalienkar in 2015 had got.
“Reduction of winning margin is not because people have changed their stance towards Parrikar. The voting turnout also attributes to fluctuating figures. Parrikar has been continuously winning Panjim seat and remains undefeated, this shows his popularity,” a senior party leader told Herald.
