Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane during a BJP's campaign for North Goa Parliamentary seat candidate, in Satari taluka, in North Goa.
Credit: PTI photo
Panaji: The performance of the BJP and Congress in the rural Sattari taluka, covering only two assembly segments, will be a key factor in the North Goa Lok Sabha constituency in the coastal state.
The two rival parties are more or less evenly placed in other constituency areas, comprising 20 assembly segments. The scene was identical in Sattari taluka until a few years ago when the BJP emerged as a stronger player.
Ahead of the polls, BJP leaders said they are striving to increase their party’s vote share in Sattari taluka, while the Congress is attempting to reclaim lost grounds to turn the table on its rival. Sattari covers the Poriem and Valpoi assembly segments.
The two seats in Goa—North Goa and South Goa—will go to polls in the third phase of the general elections on May 7. BJP has fielded its sitting MP Shripad Naik in North Goa, while Congress has nominated former Union minister Ramakant Khalap.
Earlier, the BJP and Congress had equal dominance in this taluka, but the BJP won both assembly seats in 2022, establishing its stronghold.
“The main task before the Congress candidate is to reduce the margin of BJP in Sattari taluka. If we can reduce the margin here and increase our vote share in our other strongholds, then we will be able to sail through,” said Girish Chodankar, former Goa Congress chief.
Chodankar had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from North Goa.
In the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had polled 7,561 votes against BJP’s 16,580 in Poriem assembly segment.
“Pratapsingh Rane (then Poriem MLA) had supported the BJP candidate (Naik) during the last parliamentary elections. He had extended support due to his personal rapport with Shripad Naik,” said Vishwajit Rane, son of Pratapsingh.
Amid Congress’ efforts to reverse the BJP’s gains, particularly in Sattari, Vishwajit Rane, who is also the health minister of Goa, said he has been campaigning for the past one-and-a-half months to garner support for Naik.
In the Valpoi assembly segment, the Congress had got 7,149 votes compared to BJP’s 15,334 votes last time. Rane claimed that the people of Sattari are impressed by what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done across the country.
“BJP workers in Sattari are Modi Ka Parivar,” he said, exuding confidence that Naik will win with a big lead.
BJP Goa spokesman Giriraj Pai Vernekar said Congress is struggling to make inroads in Sattari. He said the Congress candidate is from Pernem taluka but his party is unable to win over the people there. “This indicates that the BJP's ideology is being accepted everywhere,” he said.