MARCOS GONSALVES
Navelim is once again shaping up for a closely watched electoral battle ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the narrow victory se cured by BJP’s Ulhas Tuen kar in 2022 and the growing number of aspirants raising the possibility of another multi-cornered contest. Tuenkar had won the constituency by just 430 votes, defeating Valanka Alemao, while several oth er candidates also secured sizeable vote shares.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
With many political faces from the previous election either returning, changing politi cal platforms or preparing to contest independent ly, a similar fragmented situation appears to be developing in Navelim. In the 2022 election, Tu enkar polled 5,168 votes, while Valanka Alemao se cured 4,738 votes. Congress candidate Avertano Furtado received 3,806 votes, fol lowed by NCP’s Mohammad Rehan Mujawar with 2,622, AAP’s Pratima Coutinho with 2,327 and RGP’s Bento da Silva with 2,086 votes. Tuenkar’s vote share was around 24 per cent, high lighting the closely divided nature of the constituency. The emerging field for 2027 is again crowded. Sit ting MLA Tuenkar has an nounced his intention to contest on the BJP ticket, while Adv Pratima Coutin ho, Valanka Alemao, Edwin alias Cipru Cardozo, Sid desh Bhagat, former MLA Avertano Furtado and AAP’s Gerson Gomes are among the names being discussed. Tuenkar remains con fident about retaining the constituency and said his party’s organisation has remained active at the grassroots. “I am very sure that, yet again, history will repeat it self with the BJP winning in Navelim constituency.
I am contesting the elections on the BJP ticket. I and my par ty workers are always with the people and engaged in carrying out the works. We have fulfilled all the promises,” Tuenkar said. He highlighted garbage management and under ground cabling among the works undertaken during his tenure. “I managed to resolve 80 per cent of the garbage is sue, besides underground cabling,” he said. However, the opposition camp is already preparing for the electoral battle. Con gress aspirant Edwin alias Cipru Cardozo said he had received the green signal from the party to begin his groundwork. “Yes, I am very much in the race as the Congress party has given me a green signal to start the work. I am engaged in groundwork with my capability and the support of my workers.
This proves that Congress has high hopes in Navelim,” Cardozo said. Congress, however, fac es a candidate-selection exercise in the constituen cy. The Navelim Block Con gress Committee has sought a local candidate, while several established political personalities are seeking the party’s support. The return of Pratima Coutinho to Congress has added another dimension to the situation. Coutinho had contested the 2022 election on an AAP ticket and secured 2,327 votes. Her re-entry into Congress has generated speculation about her possible role in the 2027 election. Valanka Alemao remains another important factor. She had finished second in 2022, coming within 430 votes of Tuenkar. Her de cision on the political plat form from which she will contest in 2027 will there fore be closely watched. Meanwhile, Siddesh Bhagat has indicated that he intends to contest as an Independent, arguing that voters could be look ing beyond the established political parties.
“The scenario is that the people of Navelim don’t want BJP. However, the people are also of the opinion that Congress will not be able to form the next govern ment, and hence they are looking at an independent candidate who will raise their voice and do the work,” Bhagat said. He said he had been working among the people and raising issues concerning the constituency. Beyond the political calculations, garbage, electric ity, water supply and roads are expected to remain among the major issues in Navelim as the election ap proaches. Garbage management has already become a prominent political issue.
While Tuenkar claims that substantial pro gress has been made in resolving the problem, opposition aspirants continue to make waste management a major part of their criticism and public outreach. Water supply is another concern for residents, with the reliability and adequacy of supply likely to figure prom inently in discussions during the election campaign. For many households, uninterrupted water availability re mains a basic civic requirement, making the issue par ticularly relevant at the local level. Electricity and power-related infrastructure are also being raised by residents and local representatives. Fre quent interruptions, infrastructure maintenance and the need for a reliable supply are likely to form part of the demands put before candidates. Roads and internal connectivity constitute another important concern. The condition of roads, repairs after utility works, drainage and traffic-related problems in residential areas are likely to receive greater attention as prospective candidates intensify their interaction with voters.
Estevan Goes, Deputy Sarpanch of Telaulim, identified garbage and electricity as two major issues in the con stituency. “The major issues are garbage and electricity. Keeping in mind the last Assembly elections, where the BJP can didate won by a narrow margin, and the greater number of candidates attempting to contest the upcoming elec tions, the same mistake may happen,” Goes said. He also stressed the need for opposition parties to ex amine the question of unity if they intend to challenge the BJP. The newly announced AAP-GFP “Goa First” alliance has further complicated the political equation. Whether the alliance will field a candidate in Navelim and how the presence of its candidate could affect the distribu tion of votes will become clearer as the election draws closer. For now, Navelim does not appear to be heading to wards a straightforward two-party contest. Instead, the constituency is witnessing the early stages of a po tentially crowded electoral battle involving established parties, returning political figures and independent as pirants. The 2022 result remains an important reference point. Tuenkar’s 430-vote victory demonstrated how a rela tively small shift in votes can alter the result in a con stituency where several candidates command significant support. The political battle in 2027, however, will not neces sarily replicate the 2022 pattern.
Political affiliations have changed, new alliances have emerged and new can didates may enter the field. As the election approaches, the contest is likely to re volve around two parallel questions — who will finally receive the tickets and how the candidates will address Navelim’s long-standing civic concerns. With garbage, electricity, water supply and roads ex pected to remain central to the campaign, prospective candidates will have to convince voters not only about their political vision but also about how they intend to address issues affecting residents on a daily basis. For the moment, the field remains open, with the final shape of the Navelim contest dependent on candidate announcements, possible alliances and the decisions of the several aspirants preparing for the electoral battle.
