PONDA
A strange and emotional coincidence linked to the Ponda Assembly constituency has become the subject of widespread discussion across Goa, after three prominent political figures associated with the constituency passed away on the 15th day of different months over the last 15 months.
The latest tragedy was the untimely death of Congress leader and physiotherapist Ketan Bhatikar, who died of a suspected snake bite on Friday, May 15. His sudden demise at the age of 42 has left Goa in shock, especially in Ponda, where he had earned immense goodwill through his social work and medical service.
As people mourn Bhatikar’s death, many have begun recalling two other tragic losses connected to the constituency ” both of which also occurred on the 15th of the month.
Former MLA Lavoo Mamledar was killed in Belagavi on February 15, 2025, following an altercation over a car parking issue. Mamledar had represented Ponda from 2012 to 2017 after winning on a Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) ticket by defeating veteran leader Ravi Naik.
Later, on October 15, 2025, Ravi Naik ” who was serving as Goa’s Agriculture Minister at the time ” passed away following a heart attack, sending shockwaves through the State’s political circles. Over his long political career since 1984, Naik had contested elections on the tickets of MGP, Congress and BJP.
Now, with Bhatikar’s death, many in Goa are reflecting on what they describe as a heartbreaking and uncanny coincidence tied to Ponda’s political landscape.
Bhatikar himself had contested the 2024 Assembly election from Ponda on an MGP ticket and had narrowly lost to Naik by a slender margin. He later joined the Indian National Congress and was named the party’s candidate for the proposed Ponda by-election earlier this year.
The fact that all three leaders were deeply connected to Ponda and that all three deaths occurred on the 15th day of different months has left citizens stunned and emotional. Conversations about the coincidence have spread from tea stalls to political circles, with many describing it as one of the strangest chapters in the constituency’s political history.
