Same slum vote, same story for ‘Baba’ Kamat

As Goa goes for polls in February the commercial town of Margao has always been a bastion of Digambar Kamat and Congress for the last four terms now. With so many issues facing Margao, like the garbage treatment plant, the markets, parking and traffic, the commercial capital of Goa has reinstated their hopes on Digambar for years now. The recent MMC elections and the by-election has also been a boost for the sitting MLA. 

A look at the statistics of the last election shows that where the voting count starts with 1 2 3 for others, for Digambar it starts with 1600+. His bastions are the Moti Dongor, Cine Lata, Kharebandh, Colmorod and Shirvodem. Digambar has taken leads of over 1600 votes in the Monte area itself. 

The “Baba” of Moti Dongor, Kamat won the last election against the present BJP Councillor Rupesh Mahatme with a winning margin of over 4000 votes.

However, these very areas are the ones which have been suffering with the problems of sanitation, sewage disposal, open defecation, garbage, biggest being the problem of illegal settlements. Digambar has been the most active in visiting and keeping a personal rapport with these small area people and this has paid him off every single time. 

The former chief minister has been the MLA of Margao for 5 terms now. Do the age old problems of the town matter the polity or will the personal touch rule over the development agenda is the puzzle none of the politicians of Margao have been able to solve till date.

Herald asked the same to the various candidates of Margao. The AAP candidate, Santosh Raiturkar, said, "The people of Moti Hill, Fakirbandh, Cine Lata, Azad Nagari and numerous areas stayed with Digambar all these years. He could have done great work for them and could have changed the face of Margao which he failed to do," said Raiturkar

“We will go to the electorate on the issue of the non-completion of the development works of the present MLA,” the AAP candidate added.

The BJP candidate, Sharmad Raiturkar told Herald, "People have got tired of the 22 years of no development and no change at all in Margao. Margao needs to have a planned development and the 21st century demands the development in sync with the time," said Sharmad. "Time has changed now. We have now reached the people. We have earned their trust. We will not get just 1600 votes like last time. We will win with stronger majority in Margao now," he added.

Digambar Kamat said, "I have full confidence in Madgaonkars and I am sure they will repose their faith in me. It doesn't matter who the candidates are. I will take the signal of people by means of votes and if they say ‘serve’ I will, and if they say rest, I will rest."

"The District Hospital is a classic example of what the BJP Government gave the Madgaonkars. They have only been promising and giving dates of inauguration of the hospital and I am happy they have inaugurated it in December," Kamat pointed out sarcastically. 

Digambar also said that he will be fighting the election on the issue of utter non-development of Margao by BJP in the last 5 years and also the promises they made but did not keep.