Panaji: Minister of Home Union Amit Shah made a pit stop here and held a public meeting.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also visited the electoral district to drive support for party candidates.
For BJP and Congress, Sanquelim is not just another constituency.
This is the home of the Head of the Minister of Pramod Sawant, and while BJP cannot risk any other shame after LAXMIKS Parsekar loses 2017 polls in Mandrem, Congress tries to regain chairs that they have until 2012 in the first pale election.
Sawant has won Sanquelim twice in a row and is now fighting Congress candidates and members of the Board of Sanquelim Municipal Board (SMC) Dharmesh Saglani, who, despite several attempts, have not let the council escape from his grasp.
Even during city elections with last year’s election, Saglani survived with pressure and a victory emerged.
“Sawant may have an advantage over other candidates because he has become a minister of major for more than two years.
Saglani even though it won’t fall without the fight,” said a political observer.
The constituency consists of Sanquelim Municipal Council and Seven Panchayats Other villages – Harvalem, Cudnem, Navelim, Velguem, Pale-Kothambi, Surla and Amona.
The closure of mining activities continues to haunt the electoral district with more than 80% of the population depending on mining, direct or indirect.
“While BJP claims that the multiple engine government will help in developing, he has failed to restart mining in Goa.
We are the most affected,” local words from pale.
Although people are employed in government services during the Sawant period as the main minister, unemployment continues to be another problem in elections.
Congress has nominated Saglani again to take the power of the ministerial head.
There are five candidates who are competing for tickets – Pravin Blaggan, former MLA Pratap Gawas, Khemlo Sawant, Mahadev Khandekar and Saglani.
All claimed to be united and convinced to work for candidates, even if they were abandoned.
However, once Saglani was nominated, Khandarmar came out of the party and now fought as a MGP candidate, while Khemlo was a Congress candidate at Sanvordem.
Fifth has completed the first round of the door-to-door campaign.
While the CM influence area is in the villages, the Saglani fortress is the city area.
However, Congress knew that villages had a big voice and had tried to consolidate the sound there.
“Even though Saglani is said to be ‘outsiders’ in villages, it will be interesting to see if he is able to make a breakthrough to the areas dominated by BJP,” said a political observer.
Sawant has defeated Saglani by 2,131 votes in 2017.
To ensure Sawant’s victory, the former Minister of Manohar Parragar even has an understanding with Congress Congress Candidate VIrPOI, Vishwajit Rane, not to disturb Sanquelim, which limits the election.
“Parragar always raved strongly behind Sawant during the election,” said political observer.
It was a convincing Parragar of Sawant – whose father, Pandurang, was contested by the State Assembly election in 1977 – to leave his government work and bring politics.
He lost the election from pale in 2008, mostly because former Health Minister BJP Suresh Amonkar broke the voice by fighting as independent.
In 2012, Parragar brought Amonkar into the fold of BJP and Sawant Emerged Winner for the first time with 6,918 votes.
Since then, no one has looked back.
From MLA to the speaker and now the main minister, Sawant has taken a quick step.
He doesn’t want to stop.