KARSTEN MIRANDA
As counting pro gressed at the South Goa District Collectorate and re sults from Salcete became clear, one figure remained constantly in motion amid the celebrations — Congress South Goa District President Savio da Silva. Each time a party candidate registered a win, Da Silva gathered with the candidate and party workers, joined the chants, and spoke animatedly about the journey that had led to the moment, even as celebra tions continued around him. Those present said the jubilation masked months of sustained organisational effort. Da Silva repeatedly highlighted the groundwork put in by block committees, party workers and local leaders, stressing discipline and constant engagement at the grassroots as central to Salcete’s outcome. In an election where oppo sition coordination faltered across much of Goa, Salcete stood out as the only taluka to decisively buck the state wide trend in the ZP elec tions, with the Congress–Goa Forward Party (GFP) alliance winning eight of the nine constituencies. Elsewhere, fractured verdicts, rebel candidates and weak vote transfers blunted opposition efforts. In Salcete, however, coordination held firm. The results reflected that cohesion. The alliance se cured victories in Velim, Benaulim, Davorlim, Cur torim, Navelim, Guirdolim, Raia and Nuvem. Velim was won by Congress candidate Julio Fernandes, who polled 4,083 votes. Benaulim re turned Luiza Rodrigues with 5,119 votes, while Floriano Fernandes secured a deci sive win in Davorlim with 6,050 votes. Curtorim was won by Astra da Silva with 5,097 votes. Malifa Cardozo claimed Navelim with 4,503 votes, while Sanjay Velip emerged victorious in Guir dolim with 3,159 votes. Raia was retained by the alliance through the GFP, with Inaci na Pinto polling 3,698 votes. In Nuvem, Congress can didate Anthony Braganza secured victory with 3,471 votes. Colva was the lone ex ception, which was won by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). For Da Silva, the ZP polls carried significance beyond numbers. A former Velim sarpanch, he had lost the Velim Assembly seat in the last State elections to AAP’s Cruz Silva, prompting ques tions within political circles about the party’s rebuilding strategy in the district. The party’s victory in the Velim ZP seat was thus particular ly sweet for Da Silva, who is likely to contest from the Velim seat in the State As sembly elections. Party colleagues also credited the Salcete victory to how Da Silva focused on organisational work within the party. Over the past two years, Da Silva became a reg ular presence at block com mittee meetings and in villag es, concentrating on building local units and maintaining close contact with party workers and candidates. While he played a role in mobilising support during the South Goa Lok Sabha elec tions, it was the ZP campaign that brought his organisa tional role into sharper focus. In Velim, the contest car ried added complexity due to internal turbulence after Chinchinim sarpanch Frank Viegas, aligned with the GFP, chose to contest as an Inde pendent. Similar pressures over ticket denial and rebel candidates affected the Con gress elsewhere in Goa. Despite this, the lead ership in Salcete chose to stand by decisions taken at the block level and back candidates rooted in grass roots work. When address ing party workers, Da Silva was forthright in criticising defectors and repeatedly emphasised that the party would stand by those who had worked consistently on the ground. The campaign relied heav ily on direct voter engage ment, with door-to-door outreach and small public meetings forming its back bone. The messaging focused on reconnecting with voters and reinforcing confidence in the party’s local leadership. Emotions ran high after the Velim result, with Julio Fer nandes breaking down and publicly acknowledging Da Silva’s presence throughout the campaign. Similar scenes followed in Benaulim, where Congress workers credited Da Silva for backing the lo cal unit’s decision to contest independently, a stance that ultimately paid dividends. Da Silva was quick to credit local leaders, includ ing former ZP members and block-level organisers, and thanked voters for their support. Leader of Opposi tion Yuri Alemao, who was personally monitoring de velopments in Salcete, also acknowledged Da Silva’s role in keeping the district unit aligned. Senior leaders, includ ing Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Presi dent Amit Patkar and GFP chief Vijai Sardesai, also campaigned across Salcete, joining Da Silva in door-to door outreach in areas such as Assolna and reinforcing alliance coordination on the ground. They too praised Da Silva’s ground work. A day after the results, Da Silva joined victory rallies across South Goa, with party leaders viewing the Salcete outcome as a rare bright spot in an otherwise frag mented electoral landscape. For Da Silva, who is also Chairman of the Cutband Fisheries Cooperative So ciety, the results were seen by colleagues as validation of sustained grassroots en gagement, even as attention gradually turns to the next State Assembly elections.
