It is March 2, 2022 and this article would catch the public attention on my expose on the recently concluded elections to the Goa Assembly on February 14, 2022.
To keep the ballot boxes behind iron gates in a strong room would solace many of us that our sacred votes are properly and safely kept in the sealed ballot boxes of the Election Commission of India, but is it absolutely true?
Our country has the dubious distinction to be amongst the most corrupt and insensitive society the world over. Isn’t it extremely amusing and a religious paradox that we have fellow Indians amongst us, who on one hand devotedly pray in the Temple or Church at one instance and soon thereafter take the step to rob the precincts of the sanctum sanctorum?
Our faith and belief systems are very symbolic and superficial. The superfluous prayers undertaken by us have done more harm than good, thus our attachments are self seeking with vested interests and extremely momentary in nature.
There is nothing sacred and stringent in our political life. Thus even our elected legislators sway, east or west, north or south, depending on the quantity of money they receive and the freedom they get from the political high command when they presently espouse and surrender to. Today’s mantra is affection to defection all in the name of ‘in public or voters interests’. Now as the ballot papers are lying quiet in the strong room, it is up to us to do the game of ‘kite flying’ as to who would finally govern Goa at least from March 10, 2022 for the next 5 years to pass by.
It is extremely easy to state who will be the winner in bigger States, but since Goa is very small and voters in each constituency a couple of thousands, it is not easy to be precise and exact as a few votes either way can change the game of numbers. In Goa, even a vote or two could change the political power equation.
This time around, the Congress high command has been more cautious and proactive to see that in Goa, the Congress has its way and wins the battle on March 10, 2022. Once bitten, twice shy Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi have sweated out a bit and Congress forming the forthcoming government in Goa with Goa Forward and other political dispensations, both regional or pan India like the Trinamool is not a distant dream or impossibility.
There is, in a small State like Goa, a chance of a slip between the cup and the lip and the disastrous slippage. In Panjim, for example, it appeared smooth sailing for Atanasio Monserrate, as his Councillors at the CCP are controlling the capital since 2007 even though Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Minister of Goa and the sitting MLA of Panjim. Keeping aside or brushing aside several ‘U-turns’ of Manohar Parrikar on mining and offshore casino issues, his son Utpal Parrikar has shown his mettle to take upon the battle for the Panjim seat from the BJP. Yes, March 10, 2022 would spell out as to how many BJP loyalists have voted and remain loyal to the legacy of the Parrikar Parivar. Would the Monserrate-Parrikar face off result in Congress walking with the seat or is Valmiki Naik the ever loyal Aam Admi Party loyalist of Arvind Kejriwal come out strong as the electorate of Panjim are educated and not susceptible to high dose of Vitamin ‘M’, be it money or muscle power?
Straying further away from Panjim, it would be worth for us to see how Babu Ajgaonkar exponent of ‘The show must go on’ be defeated sweetly and silently by Digambar Kamat in the commercial capital of Goa.
Although Margao and Panjim are in prime focus in our society, we cannot ignore the voices of people in Ponda, Mormugao or Bardez talukas. We must not forget that Salcete was the ‘Bastion-Secure’ of the Congress so long. Would it still be or would the turn coats like Felipe Neri Rodrigues et al from Salcete play spoil sport for the Congress? It would be a good cleansing exercise if the voters reject all defectors, lock stock and if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
We must also not dismiss that money and manipulation skills in the electoral politics of today must be watched closely, to be understood fully and judged correctly.
Just as Vishwajit Rane would continue for some time his hold on the BJP’s power struggle, Congress has pulled out a ‘clever rabbit’ in Michael Lobo. Of course today, the Calangute constituency looks like a house ransacked by the bull who entered the China shop. Amusingly, Joseph Sequeira today is a BJP candidate and Agnelo Fernandes is a Trinamool face of Calangute. Both were good Congress workers, until Michael Lobo won the Congress ticket and stands today as a fore runner, although he was a BJP face for the last five years in the Calangute Constituency. Being born in Anjuna, I wasn’t surprised when Delilah Lobo was silently working her way to the hearts of Siolim constituency voters which include Anjuna, Chapora, Vagator besides Siolim. How many of us are aware that this lady from Parra in Calangute constituency gelled for the last four months with the voters of the above villages?
Yes, March 10, 2022 will tell us who the winner is. But we, as voters, have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and learn that all those winners have not got it so very easily as it would then seem to be but had to do serious planning and execution of the delivery system to catch and win the votes they have garnered with the sweat of their brow.
(The writer is a retired University Professor and an environmental activist.)
