Unexpected MGP support boosts Cong prospects at LS elections

Team Herald

PONDA: The unexpected support of MGP to Congress Party candidates both in North and South Goa has increased the prospects of Girish Chodankar and Francisco Sardinha winning the their respective seats with a huge margin.

The MGP’s Dhavalikar brothers have been appealing to their supporters to vote for Congress candidates. 

During the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP gained from the MGP vote bank. But after Sudin Dhavalikar was dropped from the State Cabinet, the relationship between the parties is strained. And with Deepka Dhavalikar contesting the Shiroda by-poll, the vote share would be split between the friends turned foes. 

On Saturday, Sudin Dhavalikar accompanied by Sardinha on the occasion of Ram Navmi took blessings of God Kapileshwar and appealed to his Marcaim constituency voters and supporters to strongly rally behind Sardinha and elect him with large margin of votes. MGP has the highest vote share in Marcaim.

After announcing his support to Sardinha, Sudin stressed that, “There is a need to stop the midnight dacoity by politicians in Goa and in order to show them right political direction. And there is need to bring in change in the political scenario in Goa.”

When pointed out that most of the BJP politicians including the chief minister are campaigning hard in Shiroda against the MGP candidate, he said, “They are campaigning more in Shiroda because they are against the MGP and Bahujans.”

“Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should be campaigning in all 40 constituencies for winning two LS seats, but instead he is focussed on Shiroda,” he said. 

Sudin said that as per his sources BJP candidate Shripad Naik would get less votes while the Congress would win by a large margin of votes. “Hence, instead of campaigning at selected places, he should focus on all the constituencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sardinha thanked Sudin for his support. He said that he is getting good response in Ponda taluka and with Sudin declaring his support to his candidature, Sardinha said, his chance of winning the election is high. He said that he is also getting good response from the mining belt.