The decision of Laxmikant Parsekar to field as an independent has changed the political equations in Mandrem. a straight fight between what seemed BJP And mgp Now it is triangular.
Sitting BJP MLA and its candidate Dayanand Sopte, MGP candidate Jeet Arolkar And as an independent, Parsekar is fighting for this seat.
“The anger against Sopte has been increasing for the last three years, while the anger against Parsekar (which led to his defeat in 2017) has subsided. The victory is being seen as a new and young face for the constituency,” said a political observer.
Most of the people in the constituency believe that the fight will be close with a margin of less than a thousand votes, which may have been decided by the silent voter.
If Parsekar wins, it will be the first for an independent candidate in Mandrem. It will also be a major embarrassment for the BJP as the party, as per the results of its internal survey, refused the ticket saying that the veteran politician was not in a position to win from here.
After Parsekar became the Chief Minister in 2014, when Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the rank of Defense Minister in the Union Cabinet, his focus was more on the administration, due to which he lost contact with the constituents.
He said, “Parsekar has now started realizing that it is very important to connect with people. They have started seeking support from the people,” said a resident of Arambol.
A resident of Mandrem said that Sopte’s confidence has skyrocketed ever since he defeated Parsekar by a margin of over 7000 votes in 2017. Even in the by-election as a BJP candidate, he won by a margin of 4,000 votes.
“His arrogance has now forced people to move away from him. Parsekar has taken advantage of this opportunity to revive his political career,” said the resident.
After Parsekar was denied a ticket by the BJP, agitated supporters forced him to contest as an independent candidate. Soon, he left the party after 32 years of association.
For the first time, the Congress, which won the constituency twice in 2017, has vacated the seat for its alliance partner Goa Forward. Former district panchayat member of BJP Deepak Kalangutkar is now the candidate of the alliance.
“Apart from Congress votes, the constituency has over 4,500 minority voters. It will be interesting to see who these voters support as the Congress has no candidate,” said a political observer.
A minority voter in Morjim said when Parsekar broke away from the BJP, he could now be an option.
“Parsekar is a respected figure in the constituency, but we were reluctant to vote for him as he was from the BJP. Now we can think of that as an option,” he said.
Arolkar also has a lot of reputation in this constituency.
“In the times of the Covid pandemic, it was victories that reached the people. Without being a part of the government, he has gone out of his way to do private work for the people,” said a resident of Arambol.
“During every election, there is polarization between the Maratha and Bhandari communities. But this time, the intensity has increased to a great extent,” said a political observer, adding that Parsekar is a strong candidate from the Maratha community.
The roles of former MLAs Ramakant Khalap and Sangeeta Parab, both good voters in Mandrem, are also being watched with keen interest.
After joining the BJP, Sopte was rewarded with the presidency of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), which helped him initiate development projects worth over Rs 500 crore in the coastal constituency.
Is this enough to see?
Sitting BJP MLA and its candidate Dayanand Sopte, MGP candidate Jeet Arolkar And as an independent, Parsekar is fighting for this seat.
“The anger against Sopte has been increasing for the last three years, while the anger against Parsekar (which led to his defeat in 2017) has subsided. The victory is being seen as a new and young face for the constituency,” said a political observer.
Most of the people in the constituency believe that the fight will be close with a margin of less than a thousand votes, which may have been decided by the silent voter.
If Parsekar wins, it will be the first for an independent candidate in Mandrem. It will also be a major embarrassment for the BJP as the party, as per the results of its internal survey, refused the ticket saying that the veteran politician was not in a position to win from here.
After Parsekar became the Chief Minister in 2014, when Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the rank of Defense Minister in the Union Cabinet, his focus was more on the administration, due to which he lost contact with the constituents.
He said, “Parsekar has now started realizing that it is very important to connect with people. They have started seeking support from the people,” said a resident of Arambol.
A resident of Mandrem said that Sopte’s confidence has skyrocketed ever since he defeated Parsekar by a margin of over 7000 votes in 2017. Even in the by-election as a BJP candidate, he won by a margin of 4,000 votes.
“His arrogance has now forced people to move away from him. Parsekar has taken advantage of this opportunity to revive his political career,” said the resident.
After Parsekar was denied a ticket by the BJP, agitated supporters forced him to contest as an independent candidate. Soon, he left the party after 32 years of association.
For the first time, the Congress, which won the constituency twice in 2017, has vacated the seat for its alliance partner Goa Forward. Former district panchayat member of BJP Deepak Kalangutkar is now the candidate of the alliance.
“Apart from Congress votes, the constituency has over 4,500 minority voters. It will be interesting to see who these voters support as the Congress has no candidate,” said a political observer.
A minority voter in Morjim said when Parsekar broke away from the BJP, he could now be an option.
“Parsekar is a respected figure in the constituency, but we were reluctant to vote for him as he was from the BJP. Now we can think of that as an option,” he said.
Arolkar also has a lot of reputation in this constituency.
“In the times of the Covid pandemic, it was victories that reached the people. Without being a part of the government, he has gone out of his way to do private work for the people,” said a resident of Arambol.
“During every election, there is polarization between the Maratha and Bhandari communities. But this time, the intensity has increased to a great extent,” said a political observer, adding that Parsekar is a strong candidate from the Maratha community.
The roles of former MLAs Ramakant Khalap and Sangeeta Parab, both good voters in Mandrem, are also being watched with keen interest.
After joining the BJP, Sopte was rewarded with the presidency of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), which helped him initiate development projects worth over Rs 500 crore in the coastal constituency.
Is this enough to see?
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