In a State where there are myriad issues to debate, will Elections 2022 revolve around the legacy and vision of the former Chief Minister who passed away during the current term while holding office? It is beginning to appear so.
The question of Parrikar and his vision would probably not have arisen 10 months before the polls had it not been for it being raised by the Aam Aadmi Party in the State. Very surprisingly, the Aam Aadmi Party has become the latest political outfit to claim that it can take forward the legacy of former Chief Minister the late Manohar Parrikar. Addressing the media in Goa, where he had come to interact with the Aam Aadmi Party volunteers, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, qualifying his statement as hearsay said that ‘people say’ Parrikar was the founder of development in Goa. He then went on to say that after Parrikar’s death, the former chief minister’s party the Bharatiya Janata Party ‘buried the vision of development for Goa’ and ‘side-lined people who aligned with the vision’ of Parrikar. Sisodia went on to suggest that Bharatiya Janata Party karyakartas should quit the party, as it will never be able to bring Parrikar’s vision of development into life.
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Bharatiya Janata Party, however, is unlikely to permit any other political outfit to grab the Parrikar legacy. Reacting quickly to this, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant a day later said that ‘only BJP can and no one else’ can fulfill the vision of Parrikar. Bharatiya Janata Party is of course the natural party to do so. Parrikar spent his entire political life in the Bharatiya Janata Party, and built it up in Goa to where it is today. For that matter, Sawant, appearing perturbed by what was said, retorted saying, “Do you think we have buried Parrikar’s vision? Answer me. We have not and we will not.” Recall that following the death of Parrikar, after Sawant was sworn in as Chief Minister, a picture of Parrikar was placed on a chair next to his in the Chief Minister’s Office. To repeat, Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa will not allow the legacy and vision of Parrikar to be claimed by any other party, whether it be Aam Aadmi Party or another.
What is perplexing about this episode is attempting to determine what the Aam Aadmi Party is getting at? Aam Aadmi Party has consistently stressed on the Delhi model of development and Kejriwal’s style of functioning. Why would the party that has been trying to project itself as different from other parties, very suddenly claim that it is the best one to fulfill the vision of Parrikar? Is it trying to target a certain vote bank? Sisodia, during his Goa visit also announced that the party would be contesting in all 40 Assembly constituencies. So it needs to reach out to all segments. The party perhaps hopes to draw more voters to its fold.
In 2017 Aam Aadmi Party contested in all seats but won not a single. Anything it wins this time will be an improvement on the past. If you look at the statistics, Aam Aadmi Party has managed to increase its reach in the State. In the last Zilla Panchayat polls and also the by-election to the Navelim Zilla Panchayat constituency, the party has managed to attain a significant vote share, but is still far from a percentage that would make it a winning player in Goan politics. It therefore needs to reach out to a wider segment of the electorate and this could be one of the baits it is dangling before the electorate. Does Aam Aadmi Party hope that the legacy of Parrikar will do the trick for them?
