hatever else, but Goan politics always requires a ‘character’ to keep the show interesting, for all of us, the daft faithful tuned into the sordid drama all these decades.

We had Dr Willy at a time jumping ship, surgically using his scalpel and keeping us entertained with his Machiavellian political acumen.

We had Churchill Alemao, straight from the earth and shooting in pidgin English straight from his heart. Rubbish most of the times, but entertaining nonetheless.

Then we had Manohar Parrikar, projected as our great saviour, in so convincing a fashion that we even continued to buy into the fable, even as Goa, crashed like a losing poker game on all social indices. That was premium wool pulled over our eyes.

And now we have the irascible, irreparable, irresponsible Vijai Sardesai. Brash, arrogant, flushed with cash, never short of an argument, and needs to win (and be in power) at any cost whatsoever.

We the moral brigade, columnists, journalists, thinkers, activists, priests, Cafe Bhonsle think tanks, baulk at these methods and shenanigans and curse and curse and curse over endless cups of coffee and oily puris, but we will always be on the losing side.

Hence, the key to understanding, why all these ‘characters’ win and win and win despite all their obnoxious party hopping is because we have the moral argument and they have the financial argument.

In our present political scenario, made worse by the enormous treasure chest of the BJP, the key to winning an election is money, money and more money. 

Please don’t for one moment think that all the horse trading going on in this country, is done by offering hay and grass to the horses (or the donkeys) as the case may be. Genuine parties like AAP, GSM, CPI, etc, which highlight genuine people’s issues and who spend their own dime, have minimal effect on the citizenry since they simply have no bling and zing which costs money.

So, the ridiculous assertion that Vijai is coming astride the Shiv Sena tiger to rescue us from the BJP is all about rescuing himself.

His calculation is simple.

1. The erstwhile Parrikar lobby decapitated by Pramod Sawant is waiting for revenge... enter Vijai.

2. Vijai can network with all the Congress rebels who are in the BJP… they won't jump just yet because Amitji is watching from Delhi… and when Amitji watches, no one moves but Vijai keeps the channels open.

3. The morsels of Congress remaining in the pie would do anything to rock any boat to get to power, but there is that exasperating, morally upright and ideologically commited Girish Chodankar standing like a bukwark in the way.

4. MGP/NCP… they still travel the roads of Goa, and wistfully calculate the amount they are losing every time an extra kilometre is laid. So that’s easy picking for Vijai.

5 So why SS then? 

Now that SS is the toast of Mumbai/Maharashtra it makes sense to cosy up to them, promise the puffed up guys, an expansion into Goa and see if he can fill the GFP coffers with Maharashtra money since most Goan industrialists are dead broke themselves.

So far, so good strategy.

But there are two definites Vijai will have to watch out for:

1.

Amitji... he crosses the line too aggressively he could be the next Chidambaram of Goa…And…

2.

The people of Goa and Salcete, who despite being polite to him to his face, are itching to send him to the dog house for his devastating betrayal of the 2017 mandate, by allying with Parrikar.

3.

There will be payback for that, whatever the stunts, tricks and inducements.

4.

Meanwhile, as the saying goes: THE SHOW MUST GO ON, AND THE CHARACTER MUST PLAY HIS PART.