Shripad's Porvorim dream shot down TNN | Jan 22, 2012, 04.16AM IST PANAJI: BJP's Goa MP Shripad Naik continues to be the state unit's inevitable fall guy. Naik, who had expressed his desire to contest the Porvorim seat in the upcoming March assembly polls, has been told by the party high command that he will not be allowed to do so.
Sources in the party told TOI that during Naik's recent visit to New Delhi, BJP national president Nitin Gadkari informed Naik that the BJP high command has decided that he should not contest the state polls and he should continue as Member of Parliament. A shocked Naik returned to Goa on Friday. While rejecting Naik's request to contest from Porvorim, the high command spoke of "party interest", said sources. A bitterly upset Naik declined to disclose the discussion he had with Gadkari, but party sources said the decision has been taken to avoid a tussle over the chief minister's post if BJP wins the state polls. "We don't want factional fights after the elections," a senior BJP member said. Opposition leader and Panaji MLA Manohar Parrikar has been the party's chief minister in the past and is a contestant for the slot. Sources said the decision is not just on account of personality-Naik is considered soft-spoken, while Parrikar is viewed as aggressive-but on caste lines as well. Naik is the BJP's most prominent face of the Bhandari Samaj, while Parrikar is representative of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. Following Naik's treatment, there is strong resentment against the BJP leadership in the Bhandari Samaj-Naik is the community's most prominent BJP face-for ignoring its sentiments. Naik's BJP supporters and well-wishers, who had asked him to quit the party if he was denied the Porvorim ticket, are expected to meet shortly to decide their future course of action. Naik, though bitterly upset over the high command's decision, is against quitting the party. In reaction to the decision, however, he has informed state party leaders that he will not be attending a single BJP state election committee meeting henceforward. The committee has been constituted to finalize the party's candidates for the assembly polls. The panel is likely to meet in the first week of February to finalize the candidates before the central parliamentary committee meeting clears the final list. Sources said that BJP vice-president Govind Parvatkar, former BJP Aldona candidate Kunda Chodankar, Asnodkar brothers Kishore and Mahanand are aspirants for the Porvorim ticket. There's also a tussle between hardliners and other BJP members in the constituency. RSS-oriented members are in favour of Parvatkar getting the ticket. BJP's alliance partner, regional outfit MGP, is also negotiating for the Porvorim seat. TOI had earlier reported that the BJP is in the process of allotting six seats to the MGP, including that of Porvorim. In 2007, Mayem was identified to facilitate Naik's entry into state polls, but two months before the assembly elections he was told he might lose the seat. The seat was won by an even lesser known BJP candidate, Anant Shet. In 2002, Naik was asked to resign as central minister and contest against Ravi Naik in Ponda. He lost that election, leaving his supporters feeling that the MP is given the ticket only when he is guaranteed to lose. Naik had travelled to the national capital as the high command had failed to revert with a decision on his interest to contest the state elections since late December. With no decision sent through BJP senior leader Arun Jaitley who was in Goa last Sunday to launch the Jan Sampark Abhiyan yatra, Naik decided to meet the high command himself. * * * Christians are the focus of BJP's Goa gameplan Shekhar Iyer, Hindustan Times New Delhi, January 23, 2012 The BJP is going all out to woo Goa's Christians, who account for 25% of voters and have traditionally backed the Congress. The party has taken this step after losing electoral battles in Goa, particularly in the southern parts of the state. Leading this campaign is IIT-educated former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, 56, who is leader of the opposition in the 2007-12 Goa assembly, in which the party has only 12 seats. The state, which has 40 seats, goes to polls on March 3. For the first time, the BJP has roped in three prominent Christian leaders from South Goa - Carlos Almeida (Mormugao), Joaquim D'Souza (Nuvem), and most notably, former Congressman Matanhy Saldanha, who was Goa's tourism minister - into its fold. Accompanied by Matanhy Saldanha, who has earned the nickname of being the "BJP's Catholic mascot", Parrikar is campaigning across the traditional Congress strongholds in Goa through his "jan sampark yatra", which was flagged off by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley. Parrikar, who is seen as the BJP's CM candidate, is said to enjoy a good rapport with local Church leaders since he was CM between 2000 and 2005. In his first term in office, Parrikar had come up with a scheme to illuminate all historic churches in Goa. This time, the BJP is promising to give the community a fair share of representation in government jobs. "We have given tickets to a sufficient number of candidates from minorities and are assuring them that they will be represented well in government jobs in the state," Parrikar said. Seeking a "chance" for the BJP, Saldanha is telling his community leaders "certain people have created fear in the minds of minorities against the BJP. Remove this fear from your minds by having faith in the party". According to Goa BJP chief Laxmikant Parsekar, it is wrong to say his party is "wooing" Christians. "The minorities have found the BJP is the only viable alternative to save Goa." http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Christians-are-the-focus-of-BJP-s-Goa-gameplan/Article1-800788.aspx --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------