The political set up in the State is in for a major churning. It all will depend on how Goencho Avaaz plays it out in the coming weeks leading up to the Lok Sabha elections. The people’s movement, that in the past few months has captured the imagination of many a Goenkar, has gone on record to state that it is contemplating an entry into the political arena, and the upcoming Parliamentary polls will be the likely stage for its political debut. For a movement that is not even a year old in the State, Goencho Avaaz has succeeded in creating a fair bit of stir with its meetings, its outreach programmes, its courtroom battles and its unabashed fight for Goa.
The proposed political plunge of Goencho Avaaz is going to give the existing political parties in the State much to ponder on. It has a huge following across the State and has exposed politicians across parties at its meetings. Their entry could not have come at a better time for them, as Goencho Avaaz is at the height of its popularity in the State. With some strong rallies behind it, and having fought battles on various issues, the movement is now a known entity across the State, far more popular than some of the regional parties, and that’s going to stir up the political cauldron, and that is why the existing political parties have to be wary of the entry of this movement.
There was a time, over a decade ago, when another such people’s movement had sat on the wall, mulling whether to jump into the electoral fray.
Flashback to 2006 and the time that the Goa Bachao Abhiyan was on a high after the victory of getting the Regional Plan 2011 scrapped and with elections due in a few months. After it had successfully spearheaded that movement, there had been calls for GBA to step into the political arena, but the leaders of the movement stepped back instead. After the election results, the movements leaders had asserted that they would remain as watchdogs for the State. They did do that, but somehow lost steam along with the passage of time, and have now been replaced at the centre of the fight for Goa by Goencho Avaaz.
So will Goencho Avaaz, do what Goa Bachao Abhiyan did not do? As Captain Viriato Fernandes, the co-convenor of Goencho Avaaz says, ‘It’s time the people of Goa have a direct say in Delhi’. And with that in mind the avaaz from Goa hopes to reach Delhi through the electronic voting machines, but it is early days and there is still no clarity on how this will be achieved. Will Goencho Avaaz field their own candidate, or will it extend support to another political party or candidate? That is yet to be decided and time is running out. But one thing Goencho Avaaz is certain of, they want the voice of the Goans to be heard in the corridors of power in New Delhi.
The coming weeks will reveal some of the political realignments that are likely to take shape before the Lok Sabha polls. Goa may have just two seats in the lower House of Parliament, but in an election where every seat will count, neither of the two major parties will be willing to let down their guard and forfeit the opportunity of winning both seats. Goan politics needs a shake-up, and Goencho Avaaz could be the one that stirs up the cauldron. The movement has the backing of a large section of the people, it all depends on whether it can convert this goodwill into votes to see it through.
