MARGAO: Three-time councillor and twice elected as chairman of Ponda Municipal Council Venkatesh Naik, more popularly known as “Dada”, was not only inducted into the Goa Forward Party but also declared as the party candidate from the Ponda Constituency at the ensuing 2022 Assembly elections, on Monday.
Welcoming Naik into the party, GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai said, “It was time to honour and respect the grassroots level workers and getting elected from three different wards at successive municipal elections just proves that Venkatesh is a man, who has his nose to the ground and is very popular with the party.”
“It is accepted to be elected from two different wards but getting elected from three different wards is truly an achievement and it is sad that people of such calibre were being ignored till GFP decided to recognise them,” said Sardesai.
Venkatesh said, “I was impressed with Vijai’s work even when he was an independent MLA and the GFP recognised the backward community when its two other MLAs belonging to the lower caste were inducted as ministers.”
“My social work of 27 years was not recognised by the BJP that imported sons of the sitting Congress MLA and seeing this I decided to join Goa Forward Party as I am hell bent on contesting the next Assembly elections,” he said.
GFP Working President Kiran Kandolkar said, “People of Ponda will now see service, as Venkatesh is a service oriented person and not the one who believes in lording over others.”
He also complimented Vijai for his strong stand on non-inclusion of Old Goa in the Greater Panjim ODP and his relentless efforts to get the government to withdraw it and added Vijai truly protected Old Goa from the land mafia that is eyeing it.
He also hailed Vijai’s strong stand against cultivation of marijuana in the State and said it was a surprise that AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik claims to be ignorant about the proposal when the same was mooted by his AYUSH Ministry.
“Party will shortly come forward with a constituency manifesto for Ponda to address its problems that have been neglected for years now,” Sardesai said.
