Pernem has a lot at stake because of going to the poll on February 14.
This is a constituency protected by the state, set aside for scheduled caste candidates.
Since Dhargalim is combined to create a constituency of one Pernem in 2012, the region has not seen the local portion as MLA.
Manohar Ajgaonkar, who won the 2017 MGP ticket election, was a resident of Margao, while BJP Rajendra Arlekar (selected in 2012) – Now the Governor of Himachal Pradesh – is a native of Vasco.
This time, the battle for the Pernem seat is expected to be a two-branch battle between Pravin Arlekar (BJP) and Rajan Korgaonkar (MGM), according to observers.
While Korgaonkar is a native of Pernem, Arlekar (initially living in Calangute) has shifted a base in recent years to Pernem.
Candidate Congress Jitera Gaonkar is also Niz Pednekar.
“In run-up for elections, this discussion is about choosing the right candidates who will ensure that constituents benefit from future development projects here,” local words, who do not want to be identified, said.
From the Mopa International Airport to the All India Ayurveda Institute, many major projects are being built in large-scale elections of rural areas.
Projects are arranged to change Pernem’s faces over the next few years.
So, who can take these Pernem and projects advance? Political observers and many locals believe it is a battle between Arlekar and Korgaonkar, or rather BJP and MGP.
“BJP has good organizational settings in Pernem and Arlekar will benefit,” other observers said.
“There was pressure on the BJP of the supporters of the Korgaonkar to give him a party ticket.
But when Arlekar managed to get it, the best choice of Korgaonkar was taking MGP offer for tickets, because the party had a strong base in Pernem.” Arlekar was originally a MGP candidate, until he joined BJP .
MGP then settled for Korgaonkar and believed he had a good chance to maintain the chair they won in 2017 and traditionally dominated.
Jitendra Gaonkar (Congress), Pundalik Dhargalkar (AAM AADMI Party) and Sujay Mhapsapskar (Goan Revolutionary) also fight from here, but observers believe that they might not be in a position to disappoint Arlekar and Korgaonkar calculations.
While Mhaptekar RG was Green-Horn, Dhargalkar AAP could barely hold a 350 votes on Zilla Pancayat recently.
Congress Candidate Gaonkar, a lawyer by the profession, is known to provide free legal assistance to the locals, but the delay in the party who completes his candidate means Korgaonkar and Arlekar have the beginning.
Constituents here feel that while the work of ‘development’ has been taken in Pernem, the renovation of temples and garden beauty has not really helped overcome their real problems such as the lack of health care facilities and almost non-existent transportation systems.
When Pernem went to the election for the first time since 1999 without Ajagonkar in Medan, it still had to be seen if this development problem and identity had a real bearing on the results.