Industrialist, chemistry graduate and BJP’s first-ever woman candidate in Goa – meet Pallavi Dempo

The BJP on Sunday picked industrialist Pallavi Dempo, a member of one of Goa’s prominent business families, as its candidate from the South Goa constituency for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

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

The Executive Director of Dempo Industries Ltd and a trustee of Dempo Charities Trust, Pallavi Dempo also oversees the media and real estate arm of the group’s business. She is the wife of Shrinivas Dempo, the chairman of Dempo Group of Companies. The Dempo Group was in the mining business before diversifying into the real estate, food processing, shipbuilding, newspaper publishing and calcined petroleum coke businesses.

Notably, recently released electoral bonds data showed that Shrinivas Dempo purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 1.25 crore in a personal capacity in January 2022 – one month before Assembly elections were held in Goa. Of this, bonds worth Rs 50 lakh were redeemed by the BJP. Dempo Industries Pvt Ltd and the group’s subsidiaries, including Goa Carbon Ltd, Devashri Nirman LLP, Navhind Papers and Publications, have purchased bonds worth Rs 1.1 crore between 2019 and 2024. Rs 50 lakh from this was also redeemed by the BJP.

After the list of candidates was announced on Sunday, Pallavi Dempo formally joined the BJP at the party’s office in Panaji, in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, and other party leaders.

“The Prime Minister’s vision has always empowered everyone irrespective of religion, caste, creed and given equal opportunities to every section of society. I thank the party for nominating my name,” Pallavi Dempo said.

On the decision to join politics, she said