Aam Aadmi Party’s latest promise to field a chief ministerial candidate from the populous Bhandari Samaj with a Catholic face as the deputy CM has triggered a huge political pandemonium within the State, with the other parties accusing the AAP of indulging in caste-based politics.
While it might be a fair claim to make following AAP’s big announcement, it is worthwhile to note that Goa is no stranger to parties having historically used caste as a significant factor to dictate and influence their political positions. While this doesn’t sanction AAP’s move, in the spirit of fairness, the BJP or Congress must introspect their own actions too.
The last two decades have seen a significant rise in the number of Catholic MLAs in the Goa’s BJP unit. In 2000, they had one Catholic MLA. By 2012, they had seven. Out of BJP’s 27 MLAs, the party currently has 15 Catholic MLAs including the eight who defected. Despite their numerical strength, minority MLAs have historically held no clout or say in the BJP’s decision-making process at the State level. When Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the Union Cabinet as Defence Minister in 2014, late Francis D’Souza was the senior most BJP MLA in the party, but he was side-lined when it came to appointing Parrikar’s replacement despite him being the first major Catholic face to join the BJP to rise to the post of Dy CM under Parrikar.
Catholics account for nearly 26 per cent of the State’s population and this community has many a time held the key to electoral success for parties in the State. But, as per AAP’s claim, this community hasn’t gotten fair representation. AAP believes that its stand on appointing a deputy CM from Catholic community will change leadership dynamics within the State.
Similarly, the Bhandari Samaj, which accounts for 30 per cent of the Goan population has never had a full-term CM in the last 60 years. Ravi Naik has been the only chief minister from the Bhandari community and that too for half a term.
The AAP has also accused the BJP of side-lining the loyal and highly experienced leader Shripad Naik. It claimed that Congress too has kept aside Ravi Naik, a tall Bhandari leader.
“This is the reason the Bhandari Samaj has alleged that both Congress and BJP have used them for their political benefits,” AAP added.
AAP’s announcement is being touted as a political master stroke by political experts and observers mainly because it might be making the BJP rethink its conduct with the two communities. Going by what is seen on ground, political parties are working hard to save their voter base.
Traditionally, the BJP has taken Bhandari votes without giving them actual power, while the Congress has monopolised Catholic votes only to lose MLAs to the BJP. Currently, more than 35 constituencies have Bhandaris and Christians in majority. Combining the prowess of these two and targeting them as its voter base, in a political masterstroke, the AAP might be able to comfortably eye more than 21 seats. If successful, both these communities uniting behind a new party might give rise to an entirely new power dynamic in the State in the upcoming elections.
