BJP Fields Pallavi Dempo, Party’s First-Ever Woman Candidate From Goa In Lok Sabha Polls

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has picked Pallavi Dempo to contest from South Goa Lok Sabha constituency for the upcoming elections. Dempo’s name featured on the party’s fifth list, with other candidates for the 111 seats.

She is the first woman to be fielded by the BJP from the coastal state in a Lok Sabha election.

“I am deeply grateful to the BJP for this nomination and accept it in all humility. We will try our level best to win this seat. I have always believed in (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi’s vision of leadership, a vision that according to me, empowers everybody irrespective of caste creed or religion and equal opportunities to every section of society,” Dempo said upon her nomination.

The South Goa seat is currently held by Francisco Sardinha of the Congress party, which has bagged the seat 10 times. The BJP, on the other hand, has won only twice: 1999 and 2014.

Spouse of industrialist Shrinivas Dempo, chairman of the Goa-based Dempo Group of Companies, Pallavi serves as the Executive Director of Dempo Industries Limited, and is a trustee at Dempo Charities Trust. She also oversees the media and real estate arms of the group’s businesses.

The recently released electoral bonds data showed that Shrinivas Dempo purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 1.25 crore in his personal capacity, while four of the company’s subsidiaries also donated via electoral bonds.