VALPOI ELECTION CAMPAIGN AT ITS EXTREME

PANJIM: The campaigning in the Valpoi constituency where the by-elections are to be held on October 18 have reached feverish pitch and the candidates in the fray, Mr Vishwajit Rane of the Congress and Mr Santosh  Aldoncar of the Bharatiya Janata Party, have stepped up door-to-door campaigning in the constituency to win over the voters on their side.

Bridge At Birondem nearing completion

People in the constituency informed that while the BJP candidate is trying hard to regain the lost ground and prestige, the Congress nominee is working overtime to not only increase winning margin to over 6,000 and keep his word of ensuring the opposition candidate lose his deposit. For most people development and employment were key issues and the people preferred them over any other issue.

Most people said the constituency’s face was fast changing and said that development would continue to remain an issue in the future elections and could decide the fate of the candidates in elections ahead. On the issue of mining, most people felt that good roads constructed in the constituency should not be used for transporting ore and if permitted whole exercise of development would come to a naught.

The BJP candidate, who is new in the political arena, is banking on the work done by the party cadres and many senior leaders, including the leader of opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar, the North Goa MP, Mr Shripad Naik, Mr Ramesh Tawadkar, Mr Sadanand Tanawade, Mr Ulhas Asnodkar, Mr Vinay Tendulkar, all former MLAs, are campaigning for Mr Haldankar. Many community leaders owing allegiance to the BJP have descended in the constituency to woo the voters from their communities towards the BJP.

Mr Rane has preferred to campaign all by himself and not a single Congress leader, including his father Mr Pratapsing Rane, the Speaker of the Goa assembly, was expected to tour the constituency over the next few days left for campaigning.

“How could I prove to be a leader of the masses if others come and seek votes for me,” he said.

Mr Rane said that he wanted the voters to give their verdict on the works done by him. He also said that his opponents should not lecture him on what to do. “If they wanted to do something better they should have done during their tenure,” he said.

Both the candidates have preferred door-to-door campaign over public meetings and said that they would not hold any public meeting. While Mr Haldankar was seen canvassing in Sanvordem panchayat in the morning session, Mr Rane made his presence felt later in the evening by holding corner meetings in Valpoi municipal council area.

Mr Rane is hoping to derive votes on the basis of development he had done and employment opportunities created for the unemployed youth over the past three years as a minister in the state cabinet and the BJP candidate is trying hard to woo the voters saying that Mr Rane was trying to promote mining activities in the constituency, which would not benefit the locals.

“I have made my stand clear on the mining issue saying that only if the people give their approval to mining activity, such an activity would be permitted in the constituency,” he said adding that he could not antagonise the people. He further said the constituency had never seen development to the extent he has undertaken and that his opponents were envious of his achievements.

Having started the campaign much before the elections were announced, Mr Rane also hoped to cash in on the positive response as a “dynamic minister” he got from the BJP to his works in the assembly and out of it, till he decided to join the Congress.

“Anyone, see the development that I have done in the constituency by touring it,” he said adding that three to four roads that have been tendered needed to be developed would be completed soon.

While the BJP accepted that the construction of the new building to house the community health centre was a good step, it expressed its apprehension over running the hospital and opposed any move to privatise it.

Former BJP MLA from Valpoi, Mr Narhari Aldoncar, who is the brother of the BJP nominee, said that there was nothing notable in the achievements of Mr Rane and the developmental works going on in Valpoi were tedious.

He said that though Mr Rane was the Agriculture Minister, he (Mr Rane) was rather more interested in promoting mining than the traditional occupation of the people of Sattari. He also said that some projects (like Guleli and Dabos water treatment project) completed in the constituency were initiated during his tenure but Mr Rane was laying claim over them as his own projects. He also said that many people were yet to get piped water supply.

Mr Aldoncar also decried the ongoing beautification work in the municipal area saying that part of it was being done at the cost of nature with many trees having been felled for the same. He also said that many people in the constituency did not have proper sanitation facilities and Mr Rane should have worked to provide them the sanitation facilities. The issue of giving rights to the occupants of the land in constituency still hangs fire, he added. (NT)