Goa’s original fishermen community will have difficult decisions to make in the forthcoming 2017 Goa polls for Cortalim assembly seat. They have to choose between legacy of their erstwhile firebrand leader Matanhy Saldanha by extending support to his wife Alina Saldanha and emerging young fishermen leader Olencio Simoes who was groomed by late Matanhy or probably someone else fighting for the cause of fishermen community.
After Matanhy joined BJP and got elected from the Cortalim seat in 2012 polls, BJP actually got a confirmed seat for 2017 assembly elections but somewhere BJP failed to take advantage of the new political twist. Today the same safe seat appears to be weak for the BJP due to various reasons, including the poll battle between two close relatives of late Matanhy including his wife Alina and nephew Olencio.
Though incumbent Cortalim MLA and a minister in the BJP government, Alina made all attempts to take issues of the people from Cortalim constituency but somewhere she fell short as the expectations of the people were much high than what Alina could do in the last five years. Though people, including fishermen community from Cortalim still have high regard for Alina for her stand and opposition against several projects cleared by the government, she somehow failed to win hearts of fishermen community and even could not reflect the zeal of Matanhy for them. This is where her own nephew Olencio Simoes started taking lead and emerged as the fishermen’s leader.
In the present political scenario, people would see a poll battle between two members of one family besides other contenders in fray. It is likely that BJP would field Alina from Cortalim. Olencio has already been announced as the Aam Admi Party candidate
How Olencio emerged as leader: Olencio was groomed by Matanhy and after having worked as a volunteer for Matanhy in the 2012 polls, he obtained some experience. According to Olencio the social work of late Matanhy actually inspired him to fight for the cause of common people. “Matanhy was known as fighter having own principles. He would have never compromised on the issues affecting the common man. For him politics and political party was only a tool for better and faster governance of the common man. For Matanhy, party was not important and such feelings inspired me to join the social field,” Simoes said.
It is also pertinent to note here that the late Matanhy had emerged as the fishermen community’s leader and that is why after his death, traditional fishermen community proposed Alina’s name for the Cortalim. However, the community was left disappointed because majority of the late Matanhy’s demands remained unsolved.
“I feel that the actual reason for me to stop supporting BJP and to become an activist was the disconnection between fishermen, government and my aunt Alina,” Olencio said.
Alina’s image: People have high regard for Alina’s non-corrupt image, but for them, she is a good leader in a wrong party. Sources said that for people of Cortalim, Alina is still a good leader but the party which she represents has upset most of the intellectual voters from this constituency. Though she was in active politics since last four odd years, however her clean and non-corrupt image still makes her one of the favourite leaders amongst aspirants.
Interestingly when Herald questioned MLA Alina Saldanha her reaction to Olencio contesting against her from Cortalim, she said: “Olencio Simoes from Nerul does not know the needs of the Cortalim constituency and the utterance that he has been making has no foundation. Like I said before, India is free country, everybody here is free to contest but Olencio is not any threat for me”.
Herald investigation revealed the Cortalim voters, who had voted for Congress in the past had shifted to BJP only looking at Matanhy’s face and the confidence reposed by Matanhy on the BJP. Locals still remember the Matanhy’s battle for special status for Goa.
