Team Herald
PONDA: Will it be cakewalk for Health Minister and BJP candidate Vishwajeet Rane in Valpoi? This is the question that is doing the rounds. Though many feel it will be a one-sided affair for Rane Junior, all are not in sync with the majority feeling.
There is an undercurrent feeling that it may not be a smooth affair after all for the BJP. Some feel Rane Junior has to tread that extra mile to woo the voters and the Congress workers, who are furious over his joining BJP, have become active and are trying their best to “teach” him a lesson.
It was evident when they expressed their sentiments during campaigning at Usgao. Also the probable Congress candidate Roy Naik has been very active. He and his supporters claimed that he was receiving very good support from Valpoi voters.
Valpoi has so far remained a Congress bastion and Junior Rane had tasted success from here. But with the change in his jersey colour, will the Rane Junior manage a repeat performance? Valpoi still has a huge number of Congress sympathisers and hence the change of camps by the Health Minister may not be taken spiritedly by many.
It was being said that after Rane’s exit from Congress, Congress would face a tough time in Valpoi, but determined Congress workers have got a fresh lease of life it seems and are campaigning spiritedly at the grass-roots level. Many of them are strongly rallying behind Roy Naik whom they think would be right person to give a fight and some main local leaders, including Ashish Kanekar of Congress, were also present at the campaign office at Tisk Usgao.
It may be recalled that recently the Congress campaign office was opened at Tisk Usgao by AICC General Secretary Chellakumar in the presence of GPCC President Shantaram Naik. Though Roy Naik’s name has not been officially announced by the Congress, Roy has already began his campaigning and his campaigners Ashok Naik said there are around six Panchayats in Valpoi from where Roy is getting good response. There are around 28,000 voters in Valpoi constituency and around 11,000 voters are from Usgao –Ganjem Panchayat which was earlier part of Ponda constituency and the Ponda MLA Ravi Naik who was once representing Ponda Constituency when Usgao Panchayat was part of it, has very good connect with Usgao locals and his hold on locals may help Roy Naik’s prospects. Roy has also started contacting senior party workers at Usgao and from Valpoi.
