The Opposition space in Goa is completely barren with the Congress in a non-existent State. However, there are three players who are currently marking their ground to take some of the available ground if not all of it. GLENN COSTA, SHWETA KAMAT and GUILHERME ALMEIDA look at the three forces who could play a significant part in the 2017 Assembly elections
Many regional parties have walked the political grand stage in Goa, right from the first elections in 1963. Initially the two regional outfits the United Goans Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party jostled with each other for power. Thereafter parties like the Nav MGP the UGP (progressive), then the United Goan Democratic Party, and more recently the Save Goa Party, the Goa Vikas Party and Aam Aadmi Party among others have vied for power.
However, till date no such party has really survived the vagaries of politics, except for the MGP which ruled the State for 16 years. But of late it has been reduced to 3 MLAs with 2 of them being brothers.
The electorate is now seriously looking for options, frustrated with the high command culture of national parties and the egotistic politics of individual politicians. This is abundantly clear from the pulse of the people over the last three elections.
Since there is no viable option, the electorate ends up voting for the all India parties and also throwing in a few independents and regional players, as if to keep a balance. But besides three terms after 1963 when MGP and UG shared centrestage, it has been national parties all the way. There are three formations which could come into play in 2017 in the non-BJP, non-Congress space- the Aam Aadmi Party, the rebooted MGP which is looking to expand beyond the BJP and group of 6 MLAs, interestingly from across the BJP the Congress and Independents. Herald calls them the G 6. All these forces are powerful on their own turf. One has to see if they manage to keep their egos and individual ambitions in check and work for a united goal and replicate the AAP victory in amchem Goem.
