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Santa Cruz may have elected Rodolfo Fernandes as its Congress MLA in 2022, but the political equation he faces in 2027 is anything but the same.
Fernandes won the seat in 2022 on a Congress ticket by a margin of 2,464 votes. He polled 8,841 votes and against 5,377 secured by BJP candidate Antonio (Tony) Fernandes. Within months, however, Rodolfo switched to the BJP along with seven other Congress MLAs and is now seeking to retain the constituency under the saffron banner. The BJP, which has never won Santa Cruz in an Assembly election, therefore enters 2027 with a particularly loaded objective — to convert a constituency represented by a BJP MLA into its first outright victory under the party symbol.
That makes Fernandes’ candidature more than a routine sitting-MLA contest. He has to defend a seat he won for one party after crossing over to another, while the BJP has to establish that its organisational and political footprint can overcome Santa Cruz’s long electoral association with the Congress.
The BJP’s first battle, however, is within its own ranks.
Former MLA Antonio ‘Tony’ Fernandes, along with BJP cadre PramodKamat and GirishUskaikar, are staking claims for the party ticket. Tony Fernandes represented Santa Cruz from 2017 to 2022 after winning on a Congress ticket and later joining the BJP. Kamat is a former Merces sarpanch, while Uskaikar is a former ZillaPanchayat(ZP) Member. Former TaleigaosarpanchAgneloD’Cunha has also been active in the constituency.
Then there is Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, whose reopening of an office in Santa Cruz has added another layer to the speculation. Monserrate represented Santa Cruz in 2012 and has publicly maintained that he will seek re-election from Panjim, even as his Santa Cruz move has fuelled political discussion. His office has already become a visible sign of the competition for influence within the BJP ahead of the 2027 polls.
For the Congress, the challenge is equally stark. Santa Cruz has historically been a Congress stronghold, but that hold took a blow in the December 2025 ZillaPanchayat elections when the party failed to retain the seat.
Congress, meanwhile, has several names in contention. Former AAP Goa president AdvAmit Palekar, who joined the Congress in April, is emerging as a prominent contender. Santa Cruz sarpanch Jennifer Oliveira, former MLA Victor Gonsalves and former Goa government employees’ president John Nazareth are also among the names being discussed.
The contest, therefore, is no longer simply about whether the Congress can reclaim a seat it regards as its traditional territory. It is also about whether the BJP can convert a defection-driven incumbency into an electoral breakthrough.
Beyond the party calculations, Santa Cruz’s physical character presents another political challenge. Located on the outskirts of Panjim, the constituency has undergone gradual semi-urbanisation while retaining substantial agricultural land. Its voters are looking for development without losing the character and environmental assets of the villages.
The demand for basic public infrastructure cuts across the political camps, with community halls, playgrounds and panchayat facilities emerging repeatedly in discussions with aspirants.
Former Merces sarpanch and panchayat member PramodKamat, who is also aspiring for the BJP ticket, said, “The constituency lacks community hall and playground facilities. Merces requires a spacious panchayatghar and we had requested space in the Provedoria building, which has now been renovated. There is also no panchayatghar at Chimbel.”
RudolfoFernandes said, “I wanted to construct a community hall on the top floor of the proposed administrative building at Merces. But the project got shelved due to a High Court order. Now I have laid the foundation stone for the proposed community hall in Santa Cruz. It will be built for the people of my constituency.”
Fernandes said he had also proposed constructing a playground on the land earlier acquired for the construction of the Unity Mall at Chimbel. But the villagers are opposed to any development there, he said.
Stating that development in the constituency is an unending process, Fernandes said the people of his constituency are aware of the developmental works undertaken by him.
Former MLA Tony Fernandes said traffic congestion at Merces junction is a major problem that needs to be addressed and reduced. He also said the stretch of the national highway from Kenkre Building, Bambolim, to Cujira is not designed according to proper geometric standards and is causing accidents. It needs to be rectified to ensure road safety.
Fernandes also spoke about the water shortage faced by residents of Dharwadkar Colony at Chimbel. “These residents were dependent on borewells which have now been sealed as per the High Court order. During my tenure, I had tried to provide them tap water connections, but due to the Covid pandemic, the work got stalled.”
Former MLA Victor Gonsalves said, “Whatever development I had done during my tenure is before my constituents. People want government jobs in the constituency’s proximity. When I became MLA in 1989, I found that youth from the constituency were not considered for government jobs because of anti-social activities by an organisation called Goa Protectors and were labelled as goons. Thanks to then Chief Minister Ravi Naik, the Goa Protectors organisation was dismantled and law and order was restored.”
According to Gonsalves, there is a need for good playground facilities in the constituency, even as steps were taken and land was acquired during his tenure.
John Nazareth said, “Santa Cruz constituency requires a spacious community hall. There is no community hall in any of the three village panchayats. Due to the absence of a community hall, people have to travel to nearby areas to hold events or meetings.”
“My vision is to protect agricultural fields which are being destroyed due to the discharge of sewage water, particularly at Chimbel. Untreated sewage is polluting fields, groundwater and local water bodies, affecting both the environment and public well-being. There is a need to construct a sewage treatment plant and a water reservoir to meet the needs of the constituents,” Nazareth said.
With both parties facing internal ticket contests before the electoral battle, Santa Cruz is shaping up as one of the closely watched constituencies ahead of the 2027 Goa Assembly elections.
