PANJIM: “If I can defend the country, can’t I defend Panjim,” was a telling, but largely unreported comment made by Defence Minister and former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in his interaction with the media on Sunday.
As the state capital awaits the declaration of bye-elections in Panjim, Parrikar’s remark gains significance as the BJP could face a strong challenge from the Congress for the Panjim seat.
Still not declared as candidate, BJP’s Siddharth Kunkolienkar appears to be their frontrunner. On Sunday he anchored the workers meeting at Menezes Braganza Hall, a meeting that appeared to be the launch of the party’s election campaign for Panjim.
But the BJP could need some help in getting him elected. Could that come from the current St Cruz MLA?
Even before the former chief minister had made his resignation public, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate had already
announced that he would contest from Panjim as an independent after resigning from his St Cruz seat.
Given the apparent risk in Monserrate’s move, and with the memory of how he has made winning elections almost a science, there has been a lot of speculation as to the ‘why’ of the decision and whether it is a ploy to break the expected one-to-one fight between the BJP and the Congress and the obvious advantage that this gave to the BJP. And some section within the BJP even feel that Monserrate’s presence will cause a certain split in the minority votes between the Congress and him, allowing BJP’s Siddharth Kunkolienkar a clear lead.
Kunkolienkar himself dismisses the theory that Monseratte’s presence will impact his party’s chances. “This is Mr Parrikar’s seat and they are looking for a worthy successor. Nothing else will matter.”
However, even the mention of Monserrate raises the hackles of BJP workers for many of whom the memory of how Monserrate dropped their Bhai from the chair in 2005 is still strong. The very fact that BJP has targeted its own government – specifically its alliance partner – in Monday’s road blockade has raised even more speculation as the constituency is represented by Jennifer Monserrate, Babush’s wife.
Monserrate has been known to surgically and scientifically use a mix of pressure and inducements to ensure that he gets the required number of votes to win. Added to that is his reputation for getting things done and that could be an incentive to many sections of Panjim society.
Monseratte is also a risk taker. And his logic-defying decision to sacrifice his St Cruz seat, at the risk of losing Panjim and losing all, is so typical of him. The BJP trump card is the defence minister, as the other aspirants have neither the personality nor the hold on the grassroots level that Parrikar has. And a majority of the BJP vote – especially the Hindu Saraswat vote which numbers around 3000 – will go by what their Bhai says.
