Deputy CM of Nagaland Y Patton campaigns for BJP’s Shripad Naik in Goa

Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, Yanthungo Patton, campaigned for the BJP candidate from the North Goa Constituency, Shripad Naik, during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Patton, from 1 to 3 May, conducted a series of meetings and public interactions to garner support for Naik. He was accompanied by Nagaland’s Advisor for Prisons and Printing and Stationery, Kropol Vitsu, and Goa’s Minister for Tourism, IT, Printing, and Stationery, Rohan Khaunte.

The 2024 Indian general election in Goa will be held on 7 May 2024 to elect 2 members of 18th Lok Sabha. Shripad Naik, 71, Union minister of state (MoS) for ports, shipping & waterways and tourism, aims to replicate his electoral luck as he tries to win the North Goa Lok Sabha constituency (formerly Panaji Lok Sabha seat) for the sixth successive term. Naik is contesting against his Congress challenger Ramakant Khalap, a former Lok Sabha MP.

Patton met with BJP karyakartas (party workers) and citizens from all walks of life, highlighting the welfare schemes and development agenda implemented by the BJP-led NDA government under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an update from the Media Cell of the Dy Chief Minister’s Office said.

Patton stressed the government’s commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind. He expressed confidence that the BJP will secure a resounding mandate from the people of Goa to continue the development momentum in the state.

Traditionally, north Goa, where Hindus constitute 76% of the population, has been a bastion of the BJP, while south Goa, where the Hindu numerical dominance is much lower and Christians form 36% of the population, has been more inclined towards the Congress. Muslims too are more in the south (10%) than in the north (7%). In both regions, they have been more supportive of the Congress traditionally, than the BJP.

As per a report in The Hindu, Hindus constitute two-thirds, Christians one-fourth and Muslims a little less than a tenth of the State’s population, making religious identity an important explanatory variable for understanding Goan politics.

“The major religions are Hinduism and Christianity, together accounting for more than 95% of the population, while Islam, Buddhism and other religions account for the rest. Unlike the common perception, Goa is not a Christian majority state, but a Hindu majority state,” DIPR Goa website states.

MTNews Desk