Vishwajeet Rane may have won eight out of ten seats in Valpoi, but the Congress has little to do with this. Inspite of his falling political fortunes in this belt of Sattari in 2012, the Junior Rane still managed to carve out a sizeable win in these civic polls. This itself accounts for the slipping base of the BJP in the area much more than the resurgence of the Congress or Vishwajeet for that matter.
However his presence there as local leader, in the absence of any alternate leadership paid dividends
Rane’s Valpoi projects during the term of the Congress is still paying him dividends. Projects like health care infrastructure, construction of a new bus stand, planning and construction of a new market project etc. The BJP government on the other hand, failed to follow up on their promises and complete the existing projects.
The people of Valpoi have seen a gulf between the two governments as far as development is concerned . The BJP has blatantly turned a blind eye to development. This election therefore, was a massive blow for the party in the Centre.
The Zilla Parishad elections of three constituencies – Nagargao, Honda and Keri – also gave a full mandate to the Congress and have shown a green signal to Rane in the forthcoming elections, mainly due to the BJP’s abject failure.
