PANJIM: Rival factions within Goa’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) community have made claims that their respective supporters voted overwhelmingly for either Congress or BJP candidates in the recent elections, with each faction alleging that over 70% of ST votes went to one of the two major parties.
Former Minister and United Tribals Alliance Association (UTAA) president Prakash Velip stated on Thursday that a significant majority of ST voters reside in the South Goa district, and more than 75 percent of these voters supported BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo. “More than 75 percent of ST community voters supported the BJP candidate. But sometimes you need luck to win an election,” Velip said, referring to Dempo’s defeat.
According to Velip, STs from Hindu communities have traditionally supported the regional MG Party before shifting allegiance to the BJP. However, he did not comment on the voting patterns of STs from Christian communities.
Conversely, ST leader Rupesh Velip, who has been at the forefront of demanding political reservation for ST communities, argued that ST communities worked against the BJP in ST-dominated areas, with 70 percent of voters casting their ballots for the Congress candidates. “ST people who had shifted from Congress to BJP after the 2011 Balli agitation voted for Congress candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes in the South Goa constituency, leading to the BJP candidate’s loss by 13,500 votes,” Rupesh explained.
Rupesh added that in North Goa, the ST community also favoured Congress candidates. However, the number of ST voters in North Goa is only 78,000 compared to 100,000 in South Goa.
According to Rupesh, there were suggestions from the community to field ST candidates in both Parliamentary constituencies. However, in the interest of Goa and to protect the Constitution and democracy, they decided to support INDIA Bloc candidates instead, fearing that fielding ST candidates might have split their votes and benefited the ruling BJP.
Rupesh mentioned that their decision to support Congress candidates came after assurances from All India Congress Committee (AICC) Goa desk in-charge Manickrao Thakare and Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar. They promised political reservations for STs within one year if the INDIA Bloc government comes to power at the Centre, following all legal procedures. They also guaranteed in their manifesto that they would fulfil pending demands, such as settling 9,500 forest right claims, notifying Scheduled areas, and allocating 10.25 percent funds (Rs 2,500 crore) annually for the development of tribals across the State. “We appealed to all ST communities of Goa to vote for INDIA Bloc candidates to save democracy, protect tribal rights, and uphold the Constitution of India,” Rupesh stated.