SHANTI MARIA FONSECA
Ever since its liber ation, Goa has wit nessed an unusually large number of political parties, many have faded into oblivion. In the late 1970s, Matanhy a teacher by profession and a strident believer of regional poli tics established the “Go mantak Lok Poxx” (GLP), a party that died a nat ural death, unsung and unheard. In 2002, he was elected as a member of the legislative assembly from the Cortalim con stituency as a candidate of the UGDP. In 2005 when the Manohar Parri kar government was dis missed by the governor, Matanhy gave the Parri kar government “uncon ditional and unqualified support” without his par ty’s consent and refused to support the Congress. In 2012, Matanhy quit the UGDP and joined the BJP. He contested the 2012 Assembly elections from the Cortalim constituen cy on the BJP ticket. All earlier convictions were thrown to the wind, win nability and power were all that mattered to him. Today his wife an earli er BJP member and his nephew who had joined the AAP seek the ticket of the Cortalim constituen cy from the INC.
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In 2016, Elvis Gomes was the chief ministeri al candidate for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa. In the 2027 elec tions, Elvis is now hoping for a Congress ticket from Cuncolim which is pres ently being represented by the LOP Yuri Alemao. Elvis is known to have said “Just as the Congress replaced its long serving party President Amit Pat kar, it can also replace any candidate if necessary.” He is therefore ready to go independent if denied the Congress ticket. On being promised the Rajya Sabha seat from the West Bengal quota, for mer CM of Goa and 7 time elected Congress minister from Navelim constituen cy Luizinho Faleiro joined the Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) without so much as a blink of his eyelid. On being denied the Navelim seat in the 2022 assembly elections, Pratima Coutinho swore in public that Congress was the B team of BJP and was filled with garbage. Not wanting to rot in the midst of trash, she defect ed to the Aam Admi Party (AAP) breaking into the Congress vote and con tested the Navelim seat unsuccessfully.
The Con gress ticket was given to Valanka Alemao who se cured many more votes than her. After hurling severe accusations and abuses at the Congress Party, Pratima rejoined the Congress on July 2nd, 2026, terming it as her home-coming. Yuri Alemao, the face of dynasty politics in Goa joined politics using his family name. Yuri had unsuccessfully con tested the 2012 Goa As sembly election from the Sanguem Assembly constituency on an NCP ticket. In 2018, he joined the Goa Forward Party (GFP). Two years later in 2020, he joined the Con gress and successfully contested the Cuncolim seat in 2022 which was earlier held by his father Joaquim Alemao. Congress lost the seat by less than 100 votes. In 2017, the AAP was the ‘new player’ in the ring. Although it did not win any seat then, it garnered nearly 7% of the vote and impacted results in at least half a dozen seats. In 2012, the former min ister Francisco (Mickey Pacheco, took over an electorally defunct Goa Vikas party (GVP) which won two seats. In 2007, it was former CM, Church ill Alemao, who quit the Congress, to float the Save Goa Front (SGF) and won two seats. While in 2002, a tottering (UGDP) came back to life winning 3 seats.
In 1994, Church ill Alemao had floated the UGDP and won 3 seats. Goan politics often gets a reputation of being ‘murky’ due to rampant defection, pervasive cro nyism and the commod ification of votes. Vote mandates are frequently over turned by politicians switching parties imme diately after elections. MLAs campaign loudly against a party before elections and quietly join the very same party af ter results. Recognising the fragmented nature of Goa’s 40 seat assembly, the BJP mastered alliance politics and engineered strategic defections. Internal infighting and the frequent desertion of its elected leaders se verely weakened the Goa Pradesh Congress Com mittee (GPCC) leaving a political vacuum that the BJP was able to secure consecutive terms. Con gress has crumbled under the weight of defections. Goa’s political story since 2017 is not principally one of elections won and lost, it is one of elections rendered irrelevant by what follows them. A report on Goa by the Association for Dem ocratic Rights (ADR’s) states that 60% of the 40 MLAs in the Goa Legisla tive Assembly switched parties during 2017 2022 tenure. A record, the organisation de scribed as “unparalleled” in Indian democracy. Right from the 1980’s when Congress (O) se cured a majority of seats, there was a fierce battle by the Pratapsingh Rane group to be appointed as CM of Goa. Rane began his political career as a member of the MGP. He was the revenue minister in Shashikala Kakodkar’s Cabinet.
Dr Willy, a prom inent former CM of Goa began his political career with the United Goans Party (UGP). In July 1998, Dr. de Souza a politician by oc cupation and a surgeon by profession started his own political group called the Goa Rajiv Con gress Party. This group broke away from the INC and Dr. Willy became the CM of Goa for the third time. In 1999, Dr. D’Sou za joined the NCP. For the 2012 assembly elec tion, he joined the All In dia Trinamool Congress (TMC). There is no place for defectors who get elect ed on a particular party symbol and then cheat the people, cheat God and go to the BJP for their selfish interests. In 2017, 10 Congress MLAs joined BJP and in 2022, 8 Con gress MLAs joined BJP. With the 2027 Assembly election around the cor ner, the question is not only whether the BJP can be defeated but whether a credible alternative can be assembled at all. The problem for Congress has never been votes; it has been the institutional and leadership capacity to translate votes into gov ernance. The Congress state unit is struggling to contain intense factionalism with several senior state party functionaries speaking out against the existing leadership, especially after the recent replace ment of Amit Patkar as President of the GPCC. Internal bickering close to elections doesn’t paint a good picture. Congress which has long since become Kumb hakarna does not need enemies to ensure its destruction.
The demoli tion squad to defeat them is within. While the BJP candidates in the forth coming elections have started campaigning in their respective constit uencies, the Congress as usual has yet to form its committees and de clare its Candidates. When will they start cam paigning? (The writer is a social scientist and a practic ing Sr. criminal lawyer)
