While the banks of the Mandovi are lined with strewn marigolds of the cheerleaders and supporters of Babush Monserrate, if you look closely, these banks of the river which defines Panjim, are also strewn with the political ashes of the BJP. The grounding of the Manohar Parrikar’s party in his own town, with his party in power is the big story of the CCP elections.
The future is about the ramifications of Babush Monserrate’s victory, albeit a victory less grand than what he envisaged – because of the Congress splitting votes – leading to his panel candidates in ward numbers 12, 13, 16, 29 and 30. There is clear evidence that Monserrate’s panel would have won these five wards if the Congress hadn’t contested. Notwithstanding this dent which would have taken the Monserrate panels tally to 22 seats, the dominance of Monserrate is actually more than the 17-13 tally seems to suggest. However the future will be played out in the coming months and at this juncture one can merely look at the broad options before him, but putting a finger on the decision Monserrate will ultimately take is impossible. Monserrate himself will make a last minute opportunistic move. Therefore Monserrate’s victory is no guarantee that this is the rise of a new opposition to fill the vacant space currently available in the anti-BJP space. But at the same time if he does decide to contest a few seats against the BJP, then the DNA of opposition politics of 2017 could change. But most importantly this is the FUTURE. And no one, not even people who have won on the panel are willing to hazard a guess on which side Monserrate will be on.
As we go closer to the Assembly elections, the need for political unity among the non-BJP forces will be the need of the hour and the Aam Admi Party displayed pragmatism for staying away from the CCP elections. But that’s for later. Now it is the present which is more important. The present is the defeat of the BJP in the CCP elections, and much as the party would downplay that this is a mini referendum and a reflection of the mood of the people, this is a very big political setback. There has been rebellion in the ranks and this is no secret. One of the mainstays of the BJP’s political campaign made a telling remark “No one in the BJP would have contested as a rebel when Manohar Parrikar was there. This was the first time when many party veterans contested against us and some won”.
If this indeed becomes a trend, then the party with a difference will not have a result any different from the Congress in 2012 (with a rider that the opposition needs to get its act together). It is nothing less than a political slap to the BJP that Asmita Kerker, the wife of a veteran BJP man Sandesh Kerker, a driver in the electricity department who has worked for Manohar Parrikar in all his elections, will be the Deputy Mayor of the CCP, from the Monserrate panel. When the BJP-backed members go for their council meetings, the faces they will see are those of Asmita Kerker and Raul Lotlikar and their party leaders will look back see other party men, who contested as rebels but did not win but did enough to defeat official candidates. For example Dinesh Kankonkar and Mahesh Shirodkar in ward number 1, Ratnaker Faterpekar in ward number 18. This is not even counting old time BJP members who contested and lost to official candidates Santosh Akhadkar in Ward number 30. These are long term scars.
This may be just another local election. But the results have driven home yet another nail in the edifice of a party which swept to power in 2012. As it battles all round public disgruntlement it is facing scrutiny from within its cadre who are asking the leadership the same questions as the Congress was asked in 2012, questions concerning personality cults and arrogance and lack of sensitivity to long time party workers. And one thing’s for sure, BJP’s Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkalienkar is in no position to give any answers.
