After photo-finish prediction, BJP rushes strategists to Uttarakhand, Goa

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, March 8

A day after the exit polls predicted a close contest in Uttarakhand and Goa, the BJP today rushed its key strategists to the two states ahead of the counting on March 10. Some pollsters have shown a neck-and-neck fight between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress in the 70-member Uttarakhand and 40-member Goa Assemblies.

Vijayvargiya, Fadnavis on job

• BJP senior general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has been camping in Dehradun
• Goa in-charge Devendra Fadnavis has already held meetings with possible allies in the state
• Pollsters have shown a neck-and-neck fight between the BJP and Congress in the two states

While Goa CM Pramod Sawant arrived in Delhi today to meet PM Modi, party’s state in-charge Devendra Fadnavis has already reached Goa and is holding meetings with possible allies there. As far as Uttarakhand is concerned, BJP’s senior general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has been camping in Dehradun.

Sawant is believed to have told the PM that the BJP is “in touch with Independent MLAs” and exuded confidence of forming the government in Goa. The state had witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the Trinamool Congress, AAP and the Shiv Sena-NCP joining the fray along with lead players — the BJP and Congress.

The BJP had tackled a similar scenario in 2017 when the Congress emerged as the single-largest party winning 17 seats. It had rushed BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, followed by then Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar, to wrest the power from an off-guard Congress with the help of regional parties.

This time, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party allied with the Trinamool Congress and the Goa Forward Party with the Congress. Even minor shifts can cause major changes in poll results in the beach state. The Congress, too, has deployed its top leaders to counter its rivals.

In Uttarakhand, no party has retained power since the state was carved out of UP. Amid speculations of a hung Assembly, Vijayvargiya has been holding meetings with the state leadership, including CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Though Vijayvargiya has denied contacting candidates of other parties and claimed the BJP would win a two-thirds majority without any outside help, there is already a buzz of “resort politics” as soon as results are declared.