MGP leader Jit Arolkar, Revolutionary Goans' Sunaina Gawde, BJP's Dayanand Sopte, and Laxmikant Parsekar (L to R)
Gomantak Times
A high-voltage battle is likely to be witnessed in the Mandrem assembly constituency where multiple candidates are in the fray.
Mandrem is represented by Dayanand Sopte who had won the 2017 Assembly election on Congress ticket and later defected to BJP. Sopte is seeking reelection from Mandrem from the BJP ticket this time.
Sopte is being challenged by former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who lobbied hard for a ticket from Mandrem and, since then quit the BJP, the runner up of 2019 byelections in Mandrem and MGP leader, Jit Arolkar and GFP's Deepak Kalangutkar.
Other candidates in the fray are Aam Aadmi party's Prasad Shahapurkar, Revolutionary Goans' Sunaina Gawde, Shiv Sena Babli Naik and independent candidate Satish Shetgaonkar.
For the February 14 polls, Sopte will again see his former Chief Minister Parsekar and Deepak Kalangutkar. However, there was a time when all three used to be friends when they were in BJP
Though the constituency comprises seven village panchayats, Morjim and Mandrem always have played a major role in the victory of a candidate as both the panchayats have around 14,000 voters. However, no candidate from the Morjim or Mandrem villages has gone on to become an MLA. Only members from the three villages - Palaye, Harmal and Parse - has represented Mandre in the Assembly.
This time around, AAP's Prasad Shahapurkar, who belongs from Mandrem Village and District Panchayat member and independent candidate Satish Shetgaonkar, who belong from the Morjim village, could re-write the history.
A closer look at the demographic equations in Mandrem makes it clear highest number of voters belong to the Bhandari community followed by the Maratha community. BJP, MGP and GFP have fielded candidates from the Bhandari Samaj while AAP has Prasad Shahpurkar who belong to the Saraswat community.
