North Goa's Lok sabha history since liberation

Goa which was still under the rule of the Portuguese could not take part in the elections that took place in Independent India in the years 1952 and 1957 thereby missing out on the first two Lok sabha polls.

It was only in the year 1963 that Goa could take active participation in Indian politics which has continued till date. After Goa's liberation in 1961 along with Daman and Diu, Goans took part in the electoral process of free India which went to polls for the third time in 1963 when Goa voted for Mr Peter Alvares from Panjim constituency and Mr Mukund Shinkre from Mormugao constituency, both of whom won on the MGP tickets.

Subsequently in the year 1967 Goa participated in the Lok sabha polls wherein Mr Janardan Shinkre another MGP candidate was elected from Panaji constituency While the United Goans party - sequeira group won the ticket in Mormugao constituency.

The fifth Lok sabaha polls in 1967 however saw a congress candidate Mr Purushottam Kakodkar achieving victory from the North Goa constituency beating Mr Madhav Talauliker of the MGP.  However he lost in the subsequent elections held in post-emergency 1977 to the MGP candidate Mr Amrut Kansar.

Sanyogita Rane of the MGP emerged victorious in North Goa constituency in the 1980 elections on a MGP ticket by beating the Indian national congress candidate Mr Purushottam Kakodkar.

In !984, post the tragic assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, the congress wave swept he entire country and Goa was no exception with Mr Shantaram naik of the congress being voted with a thumping majority by defeating his MGP rival Mr Motilal Bandekar by a whopping 40,000 votes.

The next decade from 1989 to 1999 saw over five parliamentary elections. In North Goa, Gopalrao Mayekar of the MGP beat Mr Shantaram Naik of the Congress in the 1989 elections by over 16,000 votes but the same candidate lost to the Congress' candidate Mr Harish Zantye by over 58,000 votes in the 1991 elections. Part of the reason for the humiliating defeat of the MGP in 1991 was the electoral debut of the BJP candidate Mr Manohar Parrikar who garnered over 27,000 votes in the North Goa constituency.

In 1996 Mr Ramakant Angle contesting on a MGP ticket in North Goa defeated his Congress rival Mr Amrut Kansar by over 10,000 votes. Within two years in the 1998 elections Mr Ravi Naik representing the Congress defeated Mr Pandurang Raut contesting on a BJP ticket by a narrow margin of 400 votes.

Subsequently in the years 1999 and 2004 the BJP made its presence in North Goa, clear, with its candidate Mr Shripad Naik defeating Mr Ramakant Khalap of the congress in 1999 and Mr Wilfred Dsouza of the NCP in 2004.

This time in 2009 the major fight for the Nor th Goa ticket will therefore be between the BJPs Shripad Naik and the NCPs candidate Mr Jitendra Dehsprabhu who filed his nomination yesterday after resigning from the congress in a tacit arrangement .