Cong losing the plot
The Congress vacillation in declaring its candidates this time for the Lok Sabha elections is nothing new. In the very first election in Goa in 1963 the Congress had no manifesto and changed its candidate list thrice, once a few days before the last day for nominations. In an election where every seat will count, the delay and the choice of candidates itself is likely to cost the Congress dear.
The Congress disguises internecine dissensions, with euphemisms of internal democracy, with no sanctity left over the list of candidates selected by the party’s local election committee and forwarded to the high command. But it is the extraneous lobbying in Delhi, which shows that the High Command has not changed its culture of undermining the state leadership.
Sitting MP Francisco Sardinha’s utterances after his Delhi trip are suggestive of his bowing out of the race. The prospective candidature of Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco, who was singing praises of Parrikar during the Goa assembly’s budget session, raises serious questions about his intentions and whether he has any reach beyond Curtorim. Young candidates by themselves don’t win elections without ground work and decisive strategy. Therefore Valanka Alemao’s candidature can mean advantage Narendra Sawaikar of the BJP and the party may already get its fireworks ready for the celebrations.
The GPCC President glossed over the shadow boxing behind him, when asked about getting the Congress juggernaut rolling on the election trail. One would presume John Fernandes to be a diehard optimist to declare that the Congress campaign begins the next day after the results are declared of the previous election and to presume that a magnanimous electorate would vote for a party out of power, with no declared candidates till Monday and no vibrant campaign ahead of the polls.
The fault lines of the Parrikar government — medium of instruction, Casino licence transfers, suspending mining licences and failure to deliver the regional plan and declaration to regularize irregular constructions mainly of migrants—could be incendiary material to dent the BJP’s chances in the South, if not wrest the North seat. But as is symptomatic of the Congress, right from 1980s, it has been its own worst enemy.
The disciplined BJP on the other hand already appears to be far ahead on the campaign trail. The sprouting of the Goa Democratic Front appears to be a clear strategy to divide the Congress vote in the North. Additionally there are successful attempts in throwing spanner in the works in connivance of two MLAs from the same family, by getting another to openly defy the GPCC president and by taming the BJP’s B team within the Congress. But hiding behind the skirt are the ticket gate, the power scam of yesteryears, the mokaso land rights in Valpoi and many more skeletons in the Congress cupboard, for which the gun is being put to their heads. Add to this the individual and family rivalries and you have a Congress recipe for disaster.
Besides this, there are serious charges raised by Goa Democratic Front candidate Dayanand Narvekar that Mihir Vardhan has been specifically sent to South Goa as Collector and District Election Officer to tamper with the results in favour of a party and that he should either be transferred or suspended. Narvekar has also alleged that Digambar Kamat himself had used Vardhan for defeating him by manipulating voting machines. Narvekar also alleged that Vardhan faithfully serves his masters, whoever they may be and this time would be no different. The election commission should check the bonafides of Vardhan, especially when a former Deputy Chief Minister and Law Minister has made the charge and ensure that Goan voters are not defrauded by the very authorities which are tasked with conducting a free and fair poll.
All this would indeed make the Goan electorate wonder whether this election is poised on a knife’s edge or whether Congress has already lost the plot.
