NESHWIN ALMEIDA
This feels like an election of 2007, the people in fray are Isidore, Bandekar, Khot and sitting MLA Ramesh Tawadkar. But no, this is an election, two terms and one decade later.
This time in fray is Isidore Fernandes, going for a fourth election after having a hat-trick of loses; there is Gourish Sanjay Bandekar in fray, son of the former Minister Sanjay Bandekar, who died of brain hemorrhage in 2012; Ramesh Tawadkar is vying a third term but this time he doesn’t have the lotus with him and he is riding solo while Vijay Pai Khot, who stayed loyal and didn’t rebel in 2012 when Poinguinim and Canacona merged into one constituency, has bagged the BJP ticket while Sandesh Telekar, the man who has championed himself against corruption in Canacona and got cops booked for accepting bribes, is contesting on the AAP ticket which a few others in fray.
“Canacona is an urban mess and a rural disaster. The town is worst than Margao and the villages of Kola, Cotigao, Endrem and Loliem have people reeling in poverty. There’s unemployment, corruption, the four-laning of the highway and one can see massive destruction of over 10 feet hills that are chopped, illegal shacks and bars, drugs menace, it’s all happening in Canacona,” explains Sameer Velip, who’s one of the few from his community in Chaudi. He educated himself and managed to start a small business for himself.
People felt in 2004, they ended the misrule of politicians by ending the rein of Isidore Fernandes, who jumped parties thrice in a span of two years and Ramesh Tawadkar replaced him and there was stability but despite being from the ST constituency, there has been seen disparity in ST schemes reaching the Velip community.
“From the Ruby construction that killed people in the building collapse, to bad roads, to illegal land filling, illegalities in shacks and drugs on Palolem and Galgibaga beaches show that the MLA is hand in glove with the cops and there is corruption and haftas being paid all the time,” explains the AAP candidate Sandesh Telekar. He is a young face vying for a change in the constituency and has the entire AAP brass campaigning for him.
While people tell us such is the goondagiri in the constituency that even the hotel and restaurants that cash in on tourists have to strictly follow the nexus in purchasing grocery supplies and use of taxis which has made it impossible to run business in Canacona.
A doctor, who doesn’t want to be named, recently opened business in Talpona to cash in on the tourists in that belt but told us to start his business he was forced to pay off panch members and send out gifts and the authorities and the cops just failed to intervene when he complained of harassment.
Also dominating the constituency is the pending IIT issue and Loliem’s villagers wanting to block the project.
“I didn’t contest in 2012 because Poinguinim merged with Canacona and I stayed loyal to the BJP despite being the senior MLA and I allowed Ramesh to go ahead. Now there’s no employment in Canacona, water supply is abysmal and electricity is erratic. I want to sort these issues for the poorest of people and hence the BJP gave me a ticket,” explains Vijai Pai Khot.
While Tawadkar is adamant to go into polls and still enjoys the grass BJP workers’ confidence, he feels that he has done a lot for the ST community and hence wants to vie for another term.
“The people are with me and the party campaigned for me. The BJP mandal has seen my work and stayed loyal with me, hence I refused to go with the MGP and will fight these polls for my community,” explains Tawadkar.
“I have the goodwill of my father and many people wanted me to contest these polls to continue development of Canacona and hence I have put my hat in the ring,” asserted MGP candidate Gourish Bandekar who sailed through accusation of discrepancies in his nomination with regard to his name.
