As the 2027 As sembly elections draw closer, the Bharatiya Ja nata Party (BJP) in Goa is beginning to show signs of strain, with internal ri valries and competing po litical ambitions spilling into the open and testing the party’s long-standing claim of being a disciplined organisation. The latest flashpoint came in Santa Cruz, where Revenue Minister Atana sio ‘Babush’ Monserrate inaugurated a personal office in the constituency represented by BJP MLA Rudolf Fernandes, trigger ing a public confrontation that has exposed simmer ing turf wars within the ruling party. Although Monserrate insisted the office was his private establishment, the move was widely interpret ed as a signal of his politi cal interest in Santa Cruz — a constituency the BJP has never won but which he represented in 2012. The episode forced the party leadership into dam age-control mode.
Seeking to contain the fallout, BJP State presi dent Damu Naik issued an unusually stern warning, reminding party leaders that ‘indiscipline will not be tolerated under any circumstances’ and that differences should be re solved within the organi sation instead of playing out publicly. “We are a disciplined party. We have not given them any authority. We have our sitting MLA there and he is working there and, if required, the Min ister may assist him and resolve people’s issues,” Naik said, making it clear that Monserrate had not consulted the party before reopening the office. Naik also underlined that the BJP does not permit two party offices in a constitu ency. “We do not open two party offices in one constit uency, though sometimes MLAs open their own of fices,” he said, while declin ing to comment on spec ulation over Monserrate’s electoral plans. Monserrate, however, dismissed suggestions that the office had any political significance. “I don’t require any body’s permission to open my personal and private office. It has nothing to do with the party,” he said. Monserrate added that the property had been purchased nearly a decade ago and would now function from Wednes days after renovation.
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Rejecting speculation that he was eye ing Santa Cruz, he asserted, “I will contest only from Panjim. I am making it amply clear that I am not leaving Panjim and going anywhere.” The Santa Cruz episode is not an isolated case. It comes amid growing signs that several BJP leaders have begun staking claims to constituencies well before the party has initiated its candidate selection process. Former ministers Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar and Dilip Parulekar have publicly declared their intention to contest the 2027 Assembly elections, with Ajgaonkar seeking to re turn from the reserved Pernem constituency and Parulekar laying claim to Saligao. One of the former ministers has al ready begun sponsoring religious pilgrimages for prospec tive voters, underscoring how pre-election positioning has gathered momentum. The BJP has also had to contend with earlier displays of dissent. Priol MLA Govind Gaude was dropped from the Cabinet after publicly alleging corruption in the Tribal Wel fare Department, reinforcing the leadership’s message that public criticism of the government would invite disciplinary consequences. The strains are not confined to the BJP alone.
Its alliance partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), has also begun asserting itself ahead of the polls. Following the death of former Chief Minister Ravi Naik, the Ponda Assembly seat has emerged as a fresh point of political negotiation. Power Minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar has openly expressed his desire to contest from Ponda, while indications are that his son could seek election from the family’s traditional bastion of Marcaim. Reports that the MGP is also interested in Shiroda — represented by BJP Minister Subhash Shirodkar — have further fuelled speculation over potential friction during seat-sharing talks. These developments suggest that, despite projecting confi dence of winning 30 seats in the next Assembly election, the BJP’s biggest challenge may increasingly come from within its own ranks and among its allies.
Individual leaders have be gun asserting political ambitions earlier than usual, exposing competing power centres that the party leadership will have to reconcile before it can present a united front to voters. Even as he brushed aside the Congress-Goa Forward Party tensions by remarking that “they are fighting like children” and that he did not wish to comment on “what is cooking in their kitchen”, Naik faces the more immediate task of ensur ing that similar fissures within the BJP do not deepen into a larger electoral liability.
