Says since he is secular, Nuvem people will vote for BJP candidate
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Goa Vikas Party supremo Mickky Pacheco is facing an acid test of his leadership in Nuvem Assembly segment – two years after he decimated former Power Minister and Congress heavyweight Aleixo Sequeira.
In a Catholic dominated constituency, where the BJP has little presence, Mickky has a task cut out for him – to garner sizeable votes for the BJP , if not a lead over the Congress, in the April 12 poll.
Days after pledging his support to BJP candidate Narendra Sawaikar, the flamboyant MLA has predicted that the ensuing battle of the ballot will be a one-sided affair in favour of the BJP.
Since the day he promised Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of his support to the party candidate, Mickky has not stopped moving from village to village to drum up support for the BJP nominee. He called for a meeting of his workers at Nuvem on Monday evening followed by a public meeting of the BJP candidate in the village on Tuesday.
Supporting the BJP is not something new for the Goa Vikas Party supremo. He had thrown his weight behind the BJP way back in the 2004 poll when he was representing Benaulim constituency. But his campaign for the BJP along with Parrikar’s mission Salcete had come a cropper, with the apprehensive secular vote rejecting outright the appeal made by the BJP.
The Nuvem MLA, however, says that much water has flown down the river Sal in the last 10 years. “Last time around, the people did not take the BJP seriously. Now they have realised that the Congress is the most corrupt party, looting and plundering the country since the last 10 years”, he said.
The corruption plank may have helped decimate the Congress in the 2012 poll, but political observers feel that Mickky may find the going tough with the debate on secularism versus communalism taking centre stage. “I feel it is an insult to the country when one terms someone as communal. I am a secular person and people will vote for my candidate. People of Nuvem know how a minority person like me was harassed by the Congress party in the last few years”, he said.
Mickky’s political opponents, however, have begged to differ. “People of Nuvem will not listen to the sweet talk by these politicians whose track record on secularism is suspicious. The silent majority will decide the fate of the two main candidates”, remarked a Congress sympathiser.
The Congress is equally facing a tough time to get its act together, bereft of any organisation worth its name in Nuvem segment. The Congress campaign has received a boost with Mickky’s strong man from Nuvem ZP member Wilfred D’Sa throwing his weight behind Reginaldo. “The situation is quite good for the Congress. No doubt, there’s no organisation in place, but people themselves are offering their help and support to our campaign”, Wilfred said.
The Congress camp is equally aware that there cannot be any complacency as far as far Nuvem segment is concerned. In fact, the party leadership is banking heavily on Nuvem to give Reginaldo an unassailable lead over the BJP. For the BJP, however, every additional vote polled in this Catholic-dominated segment will be a bonus to Sawaikar, knowing well that a split in the minority vote will only benefit the party in the ultimate analysis.
Since the day he promised Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of his support to the party candidate, Mickky has not stopped moving from village to village to drum up support for the BJP nominee. He called for a meeting of his workers at Nuvem on Monday evening followed by a public meeting of the BJP candidate in the village on Tuesday
