‘Handing Bicholim ticket to MGP would be foolish’

BICHOLIM: Members of the BJP block at Bicholim on Monday expressed ire at public works department (PWD) minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar alias Sudin’s intention of allotting the Bicholim ticket to the incumbent MLA Naresh Sawal ahead of the forthcoming assembly poll.
Addressing a press conference in Bicholim, president of the Bicholim BJP mandal Vallabh Salkar and others claimed that the party’s brass, including president Amit Shah, had assured the block that the Bicholim seat would be given only to the BJP and not to the alliance partner during the seat-sharing exercise.The conference was called for after Dhavalikar requested Sawal to join the MGP.
“The BJP has been working for the welfare of people at the grassroots level for several years now, while MGP stopped doing so after 1999. Hence, giving the Bicholim ticket to any other candidate won’t be a fair decision,” Salkar said.
Former Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar, who was also presented at the press conference, said the saffron party has implemented several schemes over the last five year and that handing over the Bicholim seat to the alliance partner “would merely be a game of
foolishness”.
When asked about the status of BJP’s candidature in the Bicholim constituency, Salkar said it would be decided by the high command.