PANAJI: Goan social worker and women’s rights activist Shreha Dhargalkar has declared that she will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls from South Goa.

She has already begun her prachar and publicity campaign and will be visiting her contacts and friends in South Goa next week to drum up support for her candidature.

Shreha was most visible during the Covid-19 pandemic, distributing food packets and cooked food to the underprivileged and poor in various parts of Goa. Besides her food distribution activity, she has taken up several women’s rights issues both in North and South Goa.

According to Shreha, she can easily get all the women’s votes as she has helped hundreds of women in the last 7 to 10 years in Goa. There will be a straight fight between the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A block and the BJP. In such a situation an independent candidate can make a big difference, feels Shreha. The Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), a local outfit, has also fielded candidates in both Lok Sabha constituencies in Goa.

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Voters in the coastal state of Goa have poured cold water, at least for now, on the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) plans to expand its footprint beyond West Bengal and emerge as a nationwide party challenging the BJP even as Prashant Kishor or PK, I-PAC and the TMC have been thrashed at the polls.

Its show in the Goa assembly election failed to match the noise it made while entering the poll fray, with not a single seat to show for its efforts.

Even its pre-poll partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, winning two seats, has extended its hand in support of the BJP which won 20 of the 40 seats in the state.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) made a splash by inducting former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and Tennis star Leander Paes into its fold, and with the slogan Goenchi Navi Sakal (New Dawn for Goa), the party had launched a high decibel campaign, mainly run by political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC).

The defeat in Goa came on the back of the party’s resounding victory in the West Bengal assembly polls and at a time when the TMC is looking to expand its electoral base across the country with ambitions in Tripura, Meghalaya, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Assam.

Further, it will be a setback also for TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee who has her eyes set on building an alliance of non-BJP opposition parties to take on the saffron party with her at the helm.

Now in power in Delhi and Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose chief Arvind Kejriwal was called ”brother” by Banerjee on several occasions, has more electoral weight going forward.

Sources in the TMC, however, indicated that the party is buoyed by its 5.21 per cent vote share in Goa and came second in four seats, an achievement given that it walked into the electoral fray in the state barely five months ago.

Party leaders have blamed the Congress for division of opposition votes which, they claim, has led to the victory of the BJP.

While the Congress’ vote share has come down, the BJP has not been able to improve its share, a source said. He also said that the Revolutionary Goans Party has also cut into TMC votes.

”Congress kept saying in Goa that they’ll form the govt by themselves. They rebuffed and mocked Opposition parties that proposed an alliance. All Opposition parties know that a like-minded alliance alone can defeat the BJP. But Congress’ arrogance is the never-ending problem,” tweeted TMC national spokesperson Saket Gokhale.

Sources said the TMC is here to stay in Goa and the setback will not stop its juggernaut from expanding its base in other states.

The next stop is Meghalaya, they said, where it will contest all 60 seats.(PTI)

PANAJI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Goa Pradesh today expressed confidence of winning the ensuing assembly elections with an absolute majority and form the government for the third consecutive term under the guidance and motivation of CM Dr Pramod Sawant.

Speaking at a press conference at the Party’s Election Office in Panaji, BJP Goa General Secretary Shri Narendra Sawaikar said they have received an overwhelming response from the general public during their ongoing campaigning.

“We are approaching the polling day on February 14. The BJP is geared up in all the constituencies and we have got an overwhelming response from the people. Our karyakartas, office bearers and leaders are working tirelessly to ensure BJP’s victory once again,” he said.

The party announced its first list of 34 candidates in Goa at a separate press conference in Delhi today.

Sawaikar appealed to the people to ensure the BJP’s victory because it is the only party that will continue human and infrastructural development.

“In the last 10 years, the double engine sarkar has carried out a lot of developmental works in Goa. We are confident of winning full majority in the 40-member House. At the same time, we urge the people to retain their faith in BJP,” said the party’s senior leader and former MP South Goa.

He also highlighted the fact that all BJP leaders and BJP MLAs across Goa had helped and supported Goans in their respective constituencies, during the pandemic and lock down and the people will reward them by voting for them this time.

PANAJI: After what could be termed as a royal snub or rebuke or even an insult by Goa election-in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, Utpal Parrikar has started preparing to contest as an independent from the Panaji constituency.

Sources close to the late CM Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar have confirmed that Utpal is contesting the Assembly Polls from the Panaji constituency as an independent and has started working in that direction, which includes setting up a team and a war-room.

“Preparations are being made. A team is set up. Banners and posters are being designed. Social media work has started,” a source close to Utpal Parrikar told this reporter on Thursday.

While it cannot be said that Utpal has completely given up hopes of getting a BJP ticket from Panjim, he is more or less certain that he will have to go out all on his own, as senior BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis have hinted that Utpal may not be getting the BJP ticket after all.

On Wednesday, BJP’s Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis said that the party can’t grant a ticket to Utpal Parrikar for the state assembly polls just because he is former CM Manohar Parrikar’s son. Tickets are decided based on the candidate’s work on the ground and the winnability factor, he said.

“Manohar Bhai had worked a lot to establish BJP in Goa. BJP does not give a ticket to anyone only because someone is the son of Manohar Parrikar or the son of any other BJP leader,” Fadnavis said. He also said any decision in this regard will be taken by BJP’s parliamentary board. (Goa Media Network)

CALANGUTE, GOA: Less than 24 hours post the induction of ex-Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo, his wife and supporters into the Congress, the entire Congress Calangute Block, including the former Congress Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes resigned en masse in protest.

Sources said the entire Block is expected to join the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Goa unit, but confirmation is still awaited.

“We the Calangute Block of the Congress has resigned over the induction of Michael Lobo; we are not at all happy with this induction, no one was consulted before going ahead this decision, there is absolutely no loyalty left in the Congress; Digambar Kamat and Girish Chodankar only respect vitamin M and are doing deals for tickets,” former MLA Agnelo Fernandes said while speaking to the media.

Fernandes said they will campaign against the Congress candidates in Bardez taluka, claiming that if Lobo says he can work in Bardez taluka, we too can work against the Congress in Bardez.

Calangute Block Congress Committee president Benedict D’Souza said that senior Goa Election Observer P Chidambaram had categorically stated during a meeting at Candolim held three months earlier that party tickets would be allotted with active consultation of the block committee members.

D’Souza further said that Chidambaram had also mentioned that integrity, loyalty, and credibility would be the pre-requisites for a Congress ticket, and it was decided at the meeting, candidates would only be selected through the list of names submitted by the respective Block Congress Committees.

Calangute Block Congress Committee had already selected three names, i.e. Joseph Sequeira, Agnelo Fernandes and Anthony Menezes and the names were sent to the screening committee and the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC),” said D’Souza.

Former Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira claimed that he was surprised with the entry of Michael and his wife into the Congress, claiming that the decision was taken without consulting the block committee.

“From now on, our slogan will be Congress Hatao Goa Bachao; Lobo will take all Congress winning candidates into the BJP,” said Fernandes who also claimed that the BJP approached them but they did not want an alliance with the saffron party.

PANAJI: Even as Goa minister and BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Monday resigned from the Pramod Sawant-led cabinet and also as member of the Legislative Assembly, ahead of the state polls scheduled next month, the Calangute Congress Block took umbrage at not being kept in the loop by their senior leaders.

Calangute Congress Block President Benedict D’Souza in a press note circulated to media persons in Goa, expressed his disappointment at not being updated by Senior Congress leaders on the developments in the constituency.

The press note read: the Calangute block congress committee and its workers and supporters including its President Benedict D’Souza have not been taken into confidence over BJP leader Michael Lobo or his wife’s induction into the Congress party.

Senior Congress leader and Goa election observer P Chidambaram had categorically stated in a meeting at Candolim that tickets would be allotted with the active consultation of the block members and no candidate would be forced upon party workers.

Chidambaram had also mentioned that integrity, loyalty and credibility would be the pre-requisites for a Congress ticket. He also stated in a meeting held at Candolim around three months ago, that the Congress party has committed mistakes in the past and the party is acknowledging and regrets the mistakes committed and will ensure not to repeat such mistakes again, the press note read.

It was decided at that meeting, that candidates would not be imposed by the party leadership on congress workers and well-wishers, but would only be selected from among the names sent by the Block Committee.

The Calangute Congress Block has already selected three names which have been sent to the screening committee and the Pradesh Election Committee and all the three congress leaders (in Calangute) are united and have already reached mid-way in their local campaign, D’Souza said in his media release.

Meanwhile, the Goa BJP unit later said Lobo’s move will not have any impact on the party’s prospects in the state Assembly elections, to be held on February 14.

Lobo, who represented the Calangute Assembly constituency and held charge of the state port and waste management departments, submitted his resignation to the chief minister’s office and the Goa Assembly’s Speaker.

He is likely to join the Congress either today or tomorrow, sources said.

“I have resigned from both the posts. I will see what steps are to be taken next. I have also resigned from the BJP,” Lobo told reporters.

Asked whether he will join the Congress, Lobo said he is in talks with other political parties.

He claimed that people were unhappy with the ruling BJP in the coastal state.

”The voters told me that the BJP is no more a party of the common people,” he said, while claiming that the grass-root level workers were feeling ignored by the party.

However, Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said Lobo’s decision to leave the party will have no impact on its prospects in the upcoming state polls. Lobo had left the party long back and he was “only physically present with us,” Tanavade said.

He may have left, but other workers in the Calangute Assembly constituency are with the party, he said. The BJP will field a fresh candidate to retain the Calangute Assembly seat in the elections, Tanavade said. The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced that elections to all 40 Assembly constituencies in Goa would be held on February 14.

(with inputs from PTI)

PANAJI: Goa BJP’s Carlos Almeida from the Vasco da Gama constituency resigned as an MLA and from the primary membership of the party on Tuesday.

He submitted his resignation to the Secretary of the Assembly, Namrata Ulman.

He is likely to join the Goa Congress tomorrow.

Carlos Almeida is the second Bharatiya Janata Party MLA to submit his resignation ahead of the polls. Almeida said he had been asked to work in the assembly constituency led by Daji Salkar, against whom he had filed a fraud case.

Almeida is the second BJP MLA to resign and quit the party in the coastal state. Days earlier, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha quit as MLA and as a member of the BJP and joined the Aam Aadmi Party, the next day.  (Goa Media Network)

NEW DELHI: Even as the full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is on a two-day review visit to Goa, Assembly elections in the coastal state are likely to be held in the second week of February, between the 7 to the 12th of the month, sources said.

The full bench of the Election Commission comprising the CEC (Chief Election Commissioner) and two Election Commissioners reached Goa on Monday evening to take stock of poll preparedness in the state.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur are likely to be announced in the first half of January and will be held in February next year.

In Uttar Pradesh, the elections will be held in phases and spread over a month. Results in all the States will be announced only after the final phase of voting is completed.

The poll panel had recently visited Punjab to take stock of poll preparedness.

The Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anoop Chandra Pandey, will interact with the state poll machinery and state administration in Goa during their two-day visit, EC sources said.