Parrikar to voters: Give me victory margin which suits a chief minister

PANAJI: While the coalition partners of the BJP have appealed to Ponnjekars to give BJP candidate and chief minister Manohar Parrikar a victory margin of over 9,000 votes in the August 23 byelection, Parrikar asked voters to give him a victory margin which “suited a chief minister”.
Parrikar, on Saturday, held a public meeting in Panaji to culminate his election campaign and around 700 citizens attended the public meeting.Addressing the gathering, Parrikar urged the voters to come out and vote for him and “don’t become lazy”.
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) senior leader and PWD minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, Goa Forward Party president and town and country planning minister Vijay Sardesai and revenue minister Rohan Khaunte shared the stage. Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik and other BJP leaders were also present at the meeting. Parrikar said that Sardesai and former Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker had “sacrificed for the formation of the government” and it has to be recognized. Parrikar said that “they have done a sacrifice” to take the state to a different level.
“Both party workers (BJP and Goa Forward) are comfortable with the formation of the government,” Parrikar said, adding that Sardesai did not join the alliance for his benefit but for the development of the state.
Reacting to the Congress’ question about development done by him, Parrikar asked Congress to provide the list of development works done by the Congress government. He listed out development projects undertaken by his government which included construction of the third Mandovi bridge, new Zuari bridge, Mala bridge etc.
Parrikar said that the MOI issue is a sensitive issue and his government is working to provide quality education in the state.
Sardesai said that getting former St Cruz MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate into Goa Forward was a consensus decision and what Monserrate wanted to do for the election, he would do in the next two days. Sardesai also clarified before the BJP workers that he never spoke against Parrikar. “After Parrikar became defence minister, I have never spoken against him,” Sardesai said.
Sardesai said, “ If we are not able to get a margin of 10,000 votes for Parrikar, then, really, we have to get a checkup of our brains”. Dhavalikar urged Ponnjekars to give 80 percent of votes to Parrikar and make the Congress candidate forfeit his deposit.