Lobo happy that BJP candidate won in Calangute constituency Sequeira happy that Congress candidate led in Calangute village. Both concede that it was a slender lead
TEAM HERALD
CALANGUTE: For a change, it was an unusual win-win situation for friends-turned-foes, Calangute’s BJP MLA Michael Lobo and Calangute Panchayat de facto leader Joseph Sequeira following the Lok Sabha polls in the State.
Lobo was jubilant that the party’s BJP candidate Shripad Naik had won the North Goa Lok Sabha seat, but the Congress party’s rare dominance in Calangute constituency has pleased Sequeira.
Though BJP candidate Shripad Naik won the North Goa seat by a huge margin of over 1 lakh votes, Sequeira and his foe-turned-friend ex-MLA Agnelo Fernandes claimed that Calangute constituency was a “victory” for the Congress.
“We managed to give Congress the only lead in North Goa, despite odds. It was a wafer thin margin but importantly, it was a lead. I think we could have done better working as a team which would have increased the lead considerably,” said Fernandes.
Sequeira claimed that the people had backed the Congress in Calangute village.
“We fought against all odds in Calangute with the BJP government and gave the lead to Congress, which is the only lead in North Goa. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar camped and canvassed in Calangute constituency, while money too played a major role. But we managed to take the lead,” said Sequeira.
Refusing to admit Congress party’s victory in Calangute constituency, Lobo said a lead of 103 votes was hardly a problem for the BJP.
“The leaders of Candolim (Agnelo Fernandes) and Calangute (Joseph Sequeira) joined hands to teach BJP a lesson in Calangute, but we proved them wrong. The lead was slender and wafer thin, which could go anyway in another three years,” said Lobo.
Sequeira and all 11 members of Calangute Panchayat canvassed for the Congress candidate, but could manage a lead of a mere 289 votes in Calangute village. We improved considerably in the entire Calangute constituency and the lead of 103 votes in the constituency should be no problem for the BJP in the near future” said Lobo.
