'To elect that Narendra Sawaikar, vote for this Narendra in south Goa'

MARGAO: It’s still the early morning hour and the clanging of the temple bells at Zhareshwar Devasthan, Ponda, seamlessly blend with high decibel slogans of “Aur ek bar Modi Sarkar”. That’s the way Narendra Sawaikar hit his campaign trail on Wednesday, by seeking blessings from the deity.


The temple town is Sawaikar’s home ground.

As he seeks a second term as the South Goa Lok Sabha MP, the BJP candidate is a man in no hurry. Just five days ahead of D-Day, he is on the last leg of his campaign schedule.

A brief pep talk to his karyakartas later, Sawaikar’s cavalcade heads to the Ponda market where he goes shop to shop urging traders to ensure saffron victory once again. Here he knows most of them by their first names, and so just a handshake or a pat on their shoulders does the trick.

“I have already completed two rounds of campaigning, which largely comprised of corner meetings and random visits to voters. The last round is more of addressing meetings of booth level karyakartas at various places,” Sawaikar tells TOI, as he heads to a roadside tea stall for a cuppa tea. “And of course, filling in the gaps that may have been inadvertently left.”

Sawaikar then heads to Madkai, the assembly constituency represented by former minister for public works Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar of MGP has now, for all practical purposes, severed ties with its saffron partner. Madkai had provided BJP a lead of nearly 12,000 votes in the 2014 polls. So does that worry Sawaikar? He dismisses the suggestion outright. “This election will be all about the feelings of the people. People want Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister to lead the country once again. These feelings, more than anything else, will define the voting pattern this time,” Sawaikar says with that unmissable ring of confidence.

En route Madkai, Sawaikar stops for a brief chat with roadside vendors selling seasonal fruits and vegetables. Handing out a glossy brochure of his achievements and promises, he asks them for their support. “An ear-to-ear grin by these women vendors means support is assured,” one among the army of karyakartas lets in this coded sign to another. “Yes, and coupled with a shy handshake, it means the support is cast in stone,” the co-worker jokes.

Its lunch time before Sawaikar finishes his Madkai tour. But more meetings are lined up with key voters and campaign managers. Post lunch, Sawaikar hops from one booth level meeting to another racing against time to ensure that he reaches Ponda in time for the public meeting to be addressed by Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

At Sristhal in Canacona, a large number of party workers are in attendance for the booth level ‘karyakarta melava’. Here, one senses a renewed vigour among the partymen, particularly following the homecoming of tribal welfare minister Ramesh Tawadkar. Tawadkar, who arrives at the venue minutes ahead of Sawaikar, indicates to TOI that he has put the past behind him because “people need Modi as Prime Minister again”. Sawaikar, too, weaves his narrative around Modi’s development agenda and invokes the nationalist sentiment. “Vote for this Narendra (Sawaikar) here to elect that Narendra (Modi) to power,” he tells the voters.

Dusk has already set in, but he has much ground to cover before calling it a day. “It’s been like this since day one of the campaign. The schedule is punishing,” says Sawaikar, “but the satisfaction I derive when people acknowledge my performance is immense.”

Will Sawaikar’s trust in his voters ensure his victory? The question hangs in the air.