PERNEM: When GPCC Vice President Babi Bagkar was given the party ticket for the Mandrem by-poll, he created history of sorts by being the first local from Morjim to get a national party ticket to contest assembly polls.
If Bagkar wins the Mandrem by-poll, he would, however, not be the first MLA from Morjim. That honour goes to Kashinath Shetgaonkar, another Morjim resident, who had won elections on the MGP ticket in the 1963 assembly polls.
Hailing from Bagwada-Morjim, Bagkar pursued his ITI certificate course at Bicholim after completing SSC and then he started a construction business.
A staunch Congress worker during his entire political career, Badkar began strengthening the party in Mandrem constituency under the leadersip Nirmala Sawant became GPCC president in 2000.
Bagkar was assured the party ticket for the 2002 assembly election, but politicial circumstances willed otherwise.
Following a split in the MGP, Khalap and Ravi Naik left the party and joined the BJP. In the 2002 assembly elections, Khalap and Naik joined the Congress and got they were given the ticket for the Mandrem and Ponda constituencies respectively.
Bagkar was also denied the party ticket for the 2007, 2012 and 2017 assembly polls, before finally being given the party ticket for the Mandrem by-poll.
Incidentally, Bagkar and Sopte will face each other for the second time. In 2004, they had fought each other at the ZP election in Korgao constituency and Sopte had defeated him by 360 votes
