Team Herald
PONDA: Usgao Ganjem Panchayat would play a decisive role when the result of Valpoi by-election is declared on Monday, as of the 10627 voters from the panchayat, 8204 exercised their franchise on August 23.
The BJP candidate Vishwajit Rane faced not just a first timer Roy, but an established politician and a formidable warhorse Ravi Naik, this time.
Initially, Roy focussed on corner meetings where he received a huge response, but had to shift to door-to-door campaign after his supporters faced threats for attending his corner meetings.
Vishwajit brought in Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and other coalition ministers to campaign at Usgao with the hope of breaking into the fortress of Ravi Naik. And the results on Monday would reveal whether Vishwajit was able to make a dent in the vote bank of Ravi Naik.
Monday is a D-Day both for Vishwajit and the BJP-led government, as latter’s survival and stability depends on the former’s victory at Valpoi.
At the general election in February, Vishwajit secured around 13000 votes, while BJP’s Satyavijay Naik govt over 7000 votes and MGP’s Vijay Gaonkar polled 3000 votes.
Since Satyavijay Naik and Vijay Gaonkar were backing Vishwajit this time, arithmetically he should be getting 23,000 votes.
But whether Vishwajit was able to retain his voters and whether Satyavijay Naik and Vijay Gaonkar were able to transfer their votes to the contesting candidate would become clear when the results are declared on Monday.
However, Roy and Ravi are banking on Usgao voters and a sizable number of Muslim voters in Valpoi proper to win the constituency for themselves and the Congress party.
The father-son duo is also banking on the voters who are indignant at Vishwajit’s resignation as a Congress MLA and subsequently joining BJP.
There is also a widespread resentment among voters in Usgao panchayt areas against Vishwajit for neglecting them since last ten years. Roy and Ravi, who have promised to give priority to the neglected voters, hope that the anger against Vishwajit might work in their favour.
