Margao: Roy Naik, younger son of former Ponda MLA Ravi Naik, has resigned as a councillor of the Ponda Municipal Council, triggering speculation over his political plans ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Naik submitted his resignation to the chief officer of the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) as well as the directorate of municipal administration (DMA), bringing an abrupt end to his tenure as a civic body member. Naik has seven days to withdraw his resignation, failing which it would be treated as accepted.Sources said Naik is eyeing a shot at the Marcaim assembly constituency, once represented by his father. His elder brother Ritesh had previously tried his luck from the same seat, contesting the 2012 assembly polls on a Congress ticket and polling 34% of the vote share.Ritesh was nominated by BJP as its candidate for the April 9 byelection for Ponda constituency that was necessitated following the death of Ravi, the sitting MLA, on Oct 15, 2025. However, the Bombay high court cancelled the bypoll at the eleventh hour by an order passed on a petition challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) move to hold the poll when the current assembly had less than a year left in its term.While Roy is understood to be keen on Marcaim which is presently held by MGP’s Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, sources said his prospects of securing a BJP ticket appear slim, given the growing likelihood of a pre-poll alliance between BJP and MGP. That scenario, they said, leaves him weighing options with Congress or any other opposition outfit.Sources pointed out that Dhavalikar could field his son Mithil from Marcaim on a MGP ticket, a likelihood that has made Roy fancy chances of a victory, as a direct contest against the senior Dhavalikar could prove to be a daunting proposition for Roy.Political observers say this equation largely explains Roy’s decision to step down as a BJP-backed councillor, a move that frees him to explore options beyond BJP ahead of the polls.
