PANJIM: Last week the St Cruz unattached MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate dropped a bombshell when he announced his candidature from Panjim constituency which has made the elections in the capital city even more interesting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party first unfurled its flag in 1994, when Manohar Parrikar was elected as MLA of Panjim, and since then it has been the undisputed seat for the saffron brigade.
However, with Manohar Parrikar moving to Delhi, his then joint secretary Siddharth Kunkoliencar was given the BJP ticket and won the by-poll handsomely.
But come 2017, when the elections for the Assembly elections are slated, the Panjim elections will not be a one-sided affair.
Babush announces
candidature
For long Monserrate has been saying he would contest from Panjim but knowing the camaraderie he is believed to share with Parrikar, nobody believed it was true. During the bypoll in 2015, Monserrate had said he would contest from Panjim but later indirectly supported the BJP candidate after a “secret deal” with the party, for which he was expelled from the Congress.
But at a supporters meeting last week, Monserrate said if not Panjim, he would not contest the forthcoming elections.
“I always wanted to fight an election against Manohar Parrikar, and I wish the Delhi government would send him back to fight the State elections so that I can stand against him. It has been my dream to defeat Parrikar, and I have always been confident about defeating him,” Monserrate said adding that Parrikar has always neglected Panjim.
He also alleged that Panjim MLA Sidharth Kunkolienker was looking after Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) dealings, sidelining Sanquelim MLA Pramod Sawant, who is the chairman of the corporation.
But Monserrate is nothing if he’s not optimistic. Not confined by any party or political ideology, nothing that he says is ever the last word on the issue. It is also clear threat the BJP is wary of Monserrate and will be open to the idea of working with him to ensure that the seat does not go to the opposition.
It’s clear that if there is a four-cornered contest with BJP, Monserrate, and the Congress and AAP making up the other two, AAP comes into contention and Congress too gets some hope
Babush’s advantage
Even though he has been MLA of neighbouring constituencies (Taleigao and St Cruz), Monserrate has always has had a support base in Panjim and sources say it is almost impossible to win elections without his support.
Since 2002, when the Panjim Municipal Council (PMC) was upgraded to the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP), Monserrate’s panel has been in the ruling for a majority of the terms. Even though Panjim has a BJP MLA, his panel holds sway over the CCP currently with a lead of 17-13 over BJP.
Sources speaking to Herald said, “Babush will certainly give Parrikar a run for his money only if he serious of what he is saying. We still don’t believe Babush till he files his nomination.”
Siddharth to be moved to St Andre?
Sources in the BJP have claimed that BJP has discussed moving its sitting MLA Siddharth Kuncoliencar to St Andre. Interestingly, Siddharth’s father Shripad Kuncoliencar was also a Congress MLA from St Andre in the 1980s.
