log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY JUNE 3, 2024 GOA Assonora bypass work commences MAPUSA: After significant delays, work has finally commenced on the 2.9 km Assonora bypass, with completion anticipated within 18 months. This bypass aims to alleviate traffic congestion along the State highway, offering much-needed relief to motorists. The bypass, stretching from Sirsaim to Mulgao, will initiate in Sirsaim (Tivim) and connect with the existing road in Mulgao.  >> See pg 5 Calangute locals flay illegal road work MAPUSA: Calangute villagers are demanding action against developers accused of constructing unauthorized roads within the village. These roads, allegedly built without proper authorization, have sparked outrage among the locals who are calling on authorities to intervene.   >> See pg 5 13 drunken driving cases in Vasco VASCO: As many as 13 cases were booked in Vasco for drunken driving during a joint surprise check carried out by Vasco traffic and Airport Traffic cell on Saturday. The surprise checks by the traffic department were led by Police Inspector Rahul Dhamshekar who is holding charges of both the Traffic cells.  >> See pg 5 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.347 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 5 14 2 10 All eyes on June 4 results; with candidates, stakes also high for other State politicos Govt sets Jan 2025 as new deadline for coastal plan IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoan GOA SPORTS INFO 1,000 workers dedicate themselves for Shram-Dham in Canacona WI opens WC campaign with jittery win over PNG Can migraine decrease the risk of diabetes in women? FOCUS ON SAWANT, VISHWAJIT, EIGHT MLAs WHO SWITCHED FROM CONGRESS TO BJP, ALLIANCE PARTNERS, FENCE SITTERS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With counting of votes slated to be taken up from 8 am tomorrow (Tuesday) it’s not just the candidates in the fray for the two Lok Sabha seats -- North Goa and South Goa -- who will have stakes high. The results could have a huge bearing on the political fortunes of several other leaders as well. When results begin to come in on Tuesday by noon, it will be known whether the BJP’s Shripad Naik sets the record of a sixth consecutive win or the old warhorse, Ramakant Khalap, of the Congress has managed to stop him in his tracks. The fate of Revolutionary Goans Party president Manoj Parab will also be known. Beyond the fate of the Naik-Khalap-Parab trio, meanwhile, the June 4 results and its many dimensions will unarguably have an effect on other leaders in the State like Chief Minister Pramod Results may determine destiny of South Cabinet ministers MARGAO: Apart from Congress and BJP candidates, June 4 vote Lok Sabha election result will mean a lot for a host of key political players in South Goa. In fact, the results will decide fate of many as six Cabinet Ministers hailing from South. It will also decide the fate of INDIA Alliance leaders, including Opposition leader Yuri Alemao, GPCC Chief Amit Patkar, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai, besides the two AAP MLAs Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva. > > See pg 3 Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, all of the eight MLAs who switched from the Congress camp to the BJP in September 2022, Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares-Ferreira who headed the Congress campaign in the north and other politicians. For the political parties too, the June 4 results will have an impact apart from umpteen lessons to be learnt from the numbers thrown up at the assembly constituency level. Vijai, Digambar likely to get their ‘report cards’ first MARGAO: Friends-turned-foes, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai and Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat worked on the ground in support of their candidates. Come June 4, both Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai may be the first amongst the political players to receive their “report card” as Poll officials expect that the results of Margao and Fatorda will be out first compared to the remaining 18 Assembly segments.  >> See pg 3 2-0 FOR BJP WILL BE BOOSTER FOR CM For Sawant, nothing will be sweeter than the BJP winning both the seats on June 4. Winning both the seats, as a couple of exit polls have forecast, will buttress his position at the helm of the State government and demolish any maneuvering within the ruling camp to unsettle him. A one-one tie between the BJP and Congress -- North for the former and South for the latter -- as predicted by the India Today-MyAxis exit poll, may not upset Sawant’s applecart but the scenario could have some bearing on the saffron party’s confidence in his leadership. The third scenario -- losing both the seats -- will be a serious setback for the chief minister which if followed with an unfavourable verdict across the nation, could even threaten the stability of his government as past history has shown in Goa. RANE CONTENT AS SATTARI KING? All political analysts and punters are unanimous on one scenario -- that in Poriem represented by his wife and his own Valpoi segment, Rane will certainly come up trumps with huge margins for the BJP’s Naik. The question looming in every political analyst’s mind is whether the ‘number two’ is content with being ‘king of Sattari’ or will crave to spread his political leadership wings over a wider State-level canvass. Although, Rane has hardly made any explicit bid to unsettle Sawant at the helm, the bitter tussle between the duo post the 2022 assembly results which delayed the new government formation by a month, was a give away. Time and the numbers thrown up on June 4 will either give impetus to the tussle at the top or >Continued on P6 Simultaneous counting of all South Goa constituencies MARGAO: As the Stage is set for the counting of votes of the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency on June 4, the election authorities will take up counting of votes of all the 20 Assembly segments that make up the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency at one go. Barring the three halls which will count votes of the Assembly segments of Margao, Fatorda and Cancaona, each of the remaining 17 counting halls will have seven tables each to take up the counting of votes. The counting halls of Margao, Fatorda and Canacona have a capacity to host 14 counting tables.   >> See pg 3 >Continued on P5