Panaji: Former legislator and current general secretary of the state unit Damodar alias Damu Naik is all set to become the next president of Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with his nomination being the only one filed on Friday.
Following a recommendation by the core committee of the party, Naik filed his nomination with national general secretary of BJP Sunil Bansal at party headquarters in Panaji.
Bansal announced before media that the party has unanimously recommended single name of Damu Naik for the post of Goa BJP president. The official announcement of the new president of state BJP unit will be made on January 18 at a state-level function to be held in Panaji.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, outgoing president of Goa BJP and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Union Minister of State Shripad Naik, ministers and senior leaders of the party were present during the filing of nomination by Naik.
A grassroots-level wor-ker of BJP, Naik was elected as MLA from Fatorda constituency in 2002 and 2007 assembly elections. He served as the national executive member of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in 2006.
Born on September 6, 1971 to Gajanan B Naik and Laxmi G Naik, Damu Naik completed his graduation in Arts from Goa University in 1994. He has been an active member of the party for over two and half decades.
Expressing happiness on being nominated for the state BJP unit chief’s post, Naik said his focus will be on strengthening the party organisation with the support of old and new party workers and blessings of senior members. He said BJP is probably the only political party in the world that has 15 crore members, and 4.5 lakh members in Goa.
“I feel honoured to lead such a big and democratic party in the state of Goa. I will carry forward the tradition, which has been the legacy of our leaders late Manohar Parrikar, Shripad Naik, Rajendra Arlekar, Laxmikant Parsekar and others,” he said.
Naik further said that he will take forward the party’s ideology and policies for the welfare of people keeping the nation first, party second and individual last.
