3 BJP MLAs in Salcete, but no ZP seat

Margao: Salcete, historically inhospitable to BJP, dealt it a humiliating defeat, wiping out its presence in the Catholic-dominated taluka. BJP not only failed to retain the two seats it won in the 2020 zilla panchayat elections — Davorlim and Guirdolim — but also lost in Navelim, a whitewash across all three Salcete constituencies it contested.

This setback comes despite the party having three MLAs from Salcete in the legislative assembly.The party hoped to consolidate its foothold in Salcete, a region where it has historically struggled to make inroads despite repeated attempts to court the Catholic community through various outreach programmes, including Manohar Parrikar’s famous ‘Mission Salcete’. In Davorlim, BJP candidate Satyavijay Naik lost to Congress’ Floriano Fernandes in what the party framed as a prestige battle.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant personally campaigned in the constituency, while PWD minister Digambar Kamat, known for his strong support among the Muslim community in neighbouring Margao, was deployed to reach out to minority voters.To counter BJP’s minority outreach, the Congress-GFP alliance relied on Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai’s influence, particularly in the Rumdamol housing board area. The Muslim vote proved decisive in tilting the balance.

BJP’s decision to field Satyavijay Naik over sitting ZP member Paresh Naik may have cost the party dearly. The seat was comfortably won in the 2022 byelection following Ulhas Tuenkar’s election to the legislative assembly.

In a startling accusation after the results came out, Naik told reporters he was “backstabbed” by some of his own partymen.In Guirdolim, BJP lost to Congress candidate Sanjay Velip, who rebelled and switched parties ahead of the ZP polls along with his wife Sanjana.

Sanjana briefly served as South Goa zilla panchayat president during the current term. The chief minister also campaigned extensively here, making the loss particularly painful for BJP. The saffron party’s strategy of backing independent candidates in other constituencies of Salcete also failed.

In Raia, where the party supported an independent, Congress-GFP alliance candidate Inacina Pinto secured victory, ending the four-term dominance of the Gaunkar family.Congress more than doubled its tally, surging from just three seats in 2020—Velim, Curtorim, and Nuvem—to win seven of the nine Salcete constituencies. It secured comfortable victories in Davorlim, Guirdolim, Nuvem, Curtorim, Navelim, Velim, and Raia. In the remaining two Salcete seats, GFP won in Raia, while AAP secured victory in Colva. AAP’s hopes of expanding its footprint in Salcete were dashed. While the party lost the Benaulim seat it won in its debut 2022 zilla panchayat victory, it captured Colva, maintaining its overall tally.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s attacks on BJP and the chief minister appeared to have cut no ice with the voters.GFP, contesting in alliance with Congress, scored a major victory in Raia—the only seat it contested in Salcete. Outside of Salcete, the Congress-GFP alliance’s only other South Goa victory came in Cola—a shocking defeat for BJP in a constituency partly represented by its Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar.