Around 8.30am, Congress workers assemble at their candidate Ravi Naik’s residence at Khadpaband and plan strategies for the day-long campaigning. Age is just a number and Naik refuses to get bogged down by the same. A senior Congress leader, Naik has not lost the popularity despite losing the last election to MGP–BJP alliance candidate Lavoo Mamledar in the 2012 Assembly elections. He says, “I have no doubt that the people who had voted for Congress last time will again vote for me and the Congress will form the government.” At the beginning of the day, after attending to visitors, he takes a feedback from core group and makes some tweaking , if needed, in the campaigning.
Naik had covered some areas in his constituency (from Pernem to Kankon) when Congress had planned a padyatra, long back, before the election date was declared. He now aims to knock on most number of doors before the ballot knell is sounded.
“I was a sportsperson and age does not bother me. I am getting huge response which is overwhelmingly. When I visit two Muncipal wards or Panchayat, the voters who are known to me join me in the rally. It finally culminates in a corner meeting in the evening. At 1.15pm, Naik and his team stops for the power lunch. After 3.30pm, they resume their door-to-door campaigning till late evening.
