PANAJI: Former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, who is campaigning for the BJP in Goa, stated on Thursday that a large number of Kannadigas who migrated to the coastal state decades ago, are expected to rally behind the saffron party in the Assembly elections on February 14. “The votes of Kannadigas in Goa are vital and that is why the BJP has formed several teams of its leaders from Karnataka to reach out to them,” he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Savadi said, “The voter count in each constituency in Goa is somewhere between 18,000 and 30,000. The party is working towards taking all voters into confidence. Party workers are campaigning across the state to apprise Goans about the work taken up by the Centre in the last seven years and the Goa government over the past 10 years.”
A large number of migrants from all parts of North Karnataka have been residing in Goa for nearly 40 years. “As the Transport Minister of Karnataka two years ago, I sent thousands of buses to help migrant Goans reach their hometowns during the Covid crisis. They are aware of BJP’s work towards their welfare over the years,” he added.
Savadi said that party leaders from Karnataka have been able to reach out to many Kannadigas in Goa during the last few weeks. Several top national leaders of the party, headed by BJP national president J P Nadda, are on the campaign trail to ensure the party’s victory. Savadi said the BJP is working towards winning 25 seats, and it would form the government.