PANAJI, Mar 7 (IANS): Assembly constituencies in Goa where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Congress president Sonia Gandhi campaigned have resulted in dismal returns for the Congress.
Sonia Gandhi`s rally at the Fatorda constituency in South Goa, 35 kms from here Feb 25 appears to have failed to cheer up the Congress voters there, with the party`s candidate M.K. Shaikh garnering a dismal 660 votes. Congress rebel Vijai Sardesai won the seat with a whopping 10,375 votes, with the BJP`s Damu Naik coming in second with 8,436 votes. Shaikh was ranked fifth in the list of performers.
In North Goa`s Sanquelim constituency, 35 kms from here, where Manmohan Singh addressed a public rally, Congress candidate Pratap Gawas lost by a margin of 7,000 plus votes to his nearest rival, Pramod Sawant of the BJP.