Quite simply, the motto in the Vasco elections is, to each his own. Decisions have been taken by party men and solo performers to contest and getting a party ticket, to most it’s incidental in deciding whether to enter the fray. So it’s either as an “official” candidate, or a “rebel”, this battle for Vasco will be fought.
Only the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has declared its candidate for the Vasco seat.
NCP senior leader Praful Patel recently announced that former revenue minister Jose Philip D’Souza, who is also the state NCP president, would be the party candidate for Vasco assembly seat. However, other national parties, including BJP and Congress, are still dragging their feet in declaring their candidates. Though the local units of these national parties have recommended a few names but due to pending decisions and the final announcement on party candidates, the supporters from both these parties are a confused lot. This has also sparked political infighting between aspirants from a political party eyeing to contest the elections from Vasco.
The first to get a hit is the ruling BJP itself. It is learnt that the State BJP unit would not like to take any chance to upset the sitting MLA Carlos Almeida by denying him the Vasco seat. However, since the time three-time Vasco Councillor and BJP senior leader Krishna, alias Daji Salkar, has started his preparation to contest the elections from Vasco, the race for BJP’s Vasco seat has turned interesting.
Like Almeida, even Salkar claims that he has full faith in the BJP leadership and hopes to get the BJP ticket. However, if the decision goes against Salkar, then he is prepared to contest the election as an independent. This infighting between the BJP ticket aspirants has left the party workers confused and a clear division between saffron workers can be seen.
Presently, one group of BJP workers wants Salkar, while the other, with several BJP-backed MMC councillors, wants Almeida as their candidate. The decision for the party leaders will not be as easy, as it appears, considering the possible division of BJP votes if two candidates from one party contest from Vasco.
The Congress in Vasco, isn’t a picture of unity either. While united on getting the Vasco seat allotted to them, they are divided on who should contest it. Local Congress leaders have been demanding that Vasco assembly seat should not go to NCP. In the race for the Congress ticket, former chairperson and present councillor Saifullah Khan Similarly, the Vasco Block Congress Committee president Vishal Naik too has thrown his hat in the ring and is “confident” of getting the Congress ticket for the Vasco seat.
Meanwhile two former Chairpersons of the MMC are ready to take the next leap forward, Manesh Arolkar and Fiona Rego. Though Arolkar is yet to open his cards on party ticket, he, however, has made it clear that he would contest the election from Vasco, either as an Independent or under any party flag.
Similarly, former MMC chairperson Fiola Rego is also aspiring to contest the elections from Vasco with the belief that the blessings of “godfather” Narayan Bandekar might twist the political situation in her favour. Speaking of which the ‘Godfather’, who is of course the very influential Industrialist Bandekar, is set to play his most active role. This is because, the aspirants are well aware that Bandekar’s blessings and support may offset other factors like infighting. ‘Nanabab’ has however not opened his cards.
While no party has started its campaign, this isn’t about winning on party strength. Candidates will look for a party to file nominations and get a symbol. If that doesn’t work, any other tag including that of “independent” will do, thereby making the mix all the more confusing and complex.
