BJP puts all MLAs to work for Panaji bypoll

Congress claims ruling party worried

By involving every BJP MLA in canvassing for the May 19 Panaji assembly bypoll, the Congress on Thursday said that the ruling party was already on the backfoot. It also claimed that late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s legacy was already under threat.

Congress spokesperson Trajano D’Mello on Thursday told DH that the BJP was already sensing defeat and was trying to stay afloat using ruling MLAs and other party machinery to aid Sidharth Kuncalienkar, the BJP’s candidate for the Panaji seat .

“By involving every BJP MLA in the polls, the BJP has already shown that it is on a weak wicket for the Panaji bypoll. The BJP was claiming that they would win the bypoll on Parrikar’s legacy alone. But by gearing up the entire state BJP to win one bypoll, only means Parrikar’s legacy was never good enough,” D’Mello said.

The Panaji bypoll on May 19 has been necessitated following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on March 17. Kuncalienkar, a former Parrikar aide, pipped the former Defence Minister’s son, Utpal, in the race to claim the candidature earlier this week.

At a meeting in the state capital late on Wednesday attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state BJP organising secretary Satish Dhond, senior party leaders and MLAs, it was resolved to pool in resources from all BJP mandals in the state to ensure Kuncalienkar’s victory.

“Each MLA has been asked to take charge of canvassing in three polling booths each in Panaji. Every mandal has been directed to contribute some party workers to campaign in Panaji,” Public Works Department Minister Deepak Pauskar told reporters.

The party currently has 14 MLAs in the 36-member state legislative assembly.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also said that every effort would be taken to ensure that BJP wins the Panaji seat, which has been held by the BJP since 1994.

“It is a seat of prestige for us, because late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been elected from here since 1994. We will make every effort to win it,” Sawant said.

Kuncalienkar faces a tough contest from Congress’s Atanasio Monserrate, especially as former state RSS chief Subhash Velingkar, who is also contesting the bypoll, is expected to cut into a huge chunk of the BJP's votes.