Were the Zilla Panchayat polls a referendum for the BJP government in Goa? Did the party present the elections as a mid-term appraisal of the government in the state? If so, the party has not done well in the elections. It is the independents who have performed well. Incidentally, the BJP-led alliance won 25 seats while the independents won 25 seats in both the Zilla Panchayats. With the Congress Party not in the picture and the BJP not having performed as one would have expected and with independent candidates having done exceptionally well in the Zilla Panchayat elections, the question to be asked is whether the state could have a third front before the 2017 assembly elections
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
