Panaji: Despite the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) election results not swinging in his favour, Utpal Parrikar on Friday struck an optimistic note, describing the narrow margins of defeat as a “good thing” that provides a strong platform for the future.
Parrikar, who addressed a press conference following the results, said that his panel of independent candidates polled over 6,000 votes and that the competition was much closer than the final seat tally suggested.
“In 10 wards, our candidates were within 100 votes of the winner, and in four of those, the margin was less than 50,” he said, adding that in some instances the difference was as low as 21 to 30 votes.
Parrikar said these narrow losses were primarily due to the limited 15-day campaign window and the challenges posed by eleventh-hour delimitation and reservation changes, which forced the introduction of new faces.
He also said the shifting of wards for candidates such as Surendra Furtado broke certain links with the electorate. “We had young candidates, like the 28-year-old in Ward 21, who performed exceptionally well given they only had 15 days to work,” he said.
Looking ahead, Parrikar said he remains undeterred and views the approximately 6,700 votes secured by his panel as a base to build on for the upcoming assembly elections.
“The team is ready, and we will continue to work for the people. We have shown that even as independents, we can challenge the established order. Our focus now is to convert these small margins into victories,” Parrikar said.
