Team Herald
SANQUELIM: The battle for Sanquelim is simple. Win back the hearts of the mining affected. But it will not be an easy task because the mining affected do not really know whom to trust. The BJP which promised them livelihoods due a full-fledged restart in mining operations
BJP claims that the party has brought about development. However, the other political parties feel that there are several issues which were overlooked by the government. These neglected issues, they feel, will help them in garnering votes in the coming Assembly elections.
Major part of the Sanquelim constituency, including Pale, Surla, Navelim and Kudnem, is a mining belt and the people here are totally dependent upon mining. After mining was stopped, they had to suffer serious hardships. Now the mining activity has resumed in the area but people feel it would take time to heal the wounds of the truck owners. The candidate’s victory in the constituency would also depend upon where these votes would fall.
“We have brought about all round development of the constituency and BJP has also looked into the issue of truck owners when mining was stopped,” Sanquelim’s sitting BJP MLA, who is also the party’s candidate, Pramod Sawant states.
According to the BJP they have undertaken the work of upgradation and renovation of government college Sanquelim and upgradation of government higher secondary school, building a Ravindra Bhavan, repairs of old PHC and some other works in the last five years. But the opposition feels that they were not able to complete the much-awaited Amona-Virdi Bridge which is presently under construction.
There are several other issues which need to be addressed, including the Sanquelim bus stand, the garbage treatment plant, new market and also congestion in the market area.
Sanquelim has seen a constant strife between the Sanquelim Municipal Council (SMC) and the local MLA. The SMC Chairman and present Congress candidate, Dharmesh Saglani, is openly accusing Dr Sawant of hampering the progress in the city. Even though Dharmesh has not yet started his campaigning his campaign won’t be easy. Ex-MLA Pratap Gawas is pained at he being denied the ticket and it is unlikely that the Gawas stronghold of Cudnaim will support Saglani. The maratha versus outsider card will also be played. (Saglani, is technically not a Goan but has lived here long enough and is the leader of the All Goa Private Shacks Association)
In Sanquelim constituency the voters have elected both Congress and BJP candidates in the past. In 2009 after the death of the Congress MLA, Gurudas Gawas, Pratap Gawas was elected after the re-elections. During this election the BJP had sidelined Dr Suresh Amonkar and had given ticket to Dr Pramod Sawant. As Dr Amonkar contested as independent Dr Sawant had to face defeat in the elections.
Dr Amonkar is now contesting as Goa Suraksha Manch candidate and would do much harm to the major political parties, say sources.
“Our major stress is on the language, mining and other issues from the constituency,” Aashish Thakur, a supporter of GSM said. “The mining affected would strongly support us as they very well know that both Congress and BJP were responsible for stopping mining in the state,” he added.
AAP has fielded a young and new face in the constituency in the form of Milind Gawas. “There is corruption in every field in the government and even though the government claims that they have brought about development there are several pending projects. The sewage treatment plant is still incomplete, there are no proper roads and Sanquelim city is not even having a good playground. All these issues were neglected by the government,” said Milind Gawas.
Besides all these political parties in the fray there is also an Independent candidate who would be in the race — Dinesh Sahastrabudhe. Being a former Pali sarpanch, Dinesh is likely to grab away a chunk of the rural votes and would certainly make a difference in the calculations, sources say.
