Advani to kickstart campaign in Goa on May 18

Panaji, May 9: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani will kickstart campaign for the BJP from Mardol in North Goa's Priol constituency on May 18, for the June 2 election to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly.

High level party sources told sources here today that the BJP has drafted services of Sanjay Jha as campaign in-charge for Goa elections as he had successfully led the by-electioneering in Punjab and Uttarakhand earlier.

At the same time, the party's national spokesperson and former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, appointed in-charge of Goa desk for the elections, had already taken charge and begun interacting with the rank and file over strategies for decisive victory of the BJP in the hustings.

Other senior leaders who have been drawn for campaigning include ace cricketer and MP Navjyotsingh Sidhu to attract the youth and former I&B Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The BJP had yesterday announced the 32-member list of its nominees including two women.

Party's national President Rajnath Singh will wind up the campaign in Margao commercial city where one time minister in Manohar Parrikar's cabinet and now Power minister in Congress-led government Digambar Kamat, is the Congress nominee.

Significantly, 18 among the 32 candidates announced by the party's central election committee yesterday from New Delhi, are ''new and young faces'' besides nine SC and ST, two women and 9 OBC representatives.

All 14 sitting MLAs except former deputy speaker from Valpoi constituency Narahari Haldaonkar have been renominated. With Narahari expressing his desire to retire. Party's veteran trade union leader Puti Govind Gaonkar has been given the opportunity to contest from Valpoi.

Ms Kunda Suvarn Chodankar, party vice president and former president of the women's wing has been nominated to contest from Aldona against law minister Dayanand Narvekar for the first time.

Ms Anjali Srikant Malik, member of the North Goa Zilla Parishad, will contest from Calangute, also for the first time.

Most of the nominees are aged between 29 and 52 years and all communities and sections have been given the opportunity in the list, sources said.

Former party president Rajendra Vishwanth Arlekar, who was disqualified as legislator from contesting election for holding office of profit last year, has been nominated to contest from Vasco-da-Gama.

Opposition leader and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar will once again contest from the capital city of Panaji.

UNI