SALCETE: Many hunters in erstwhile happy hunting ground

For the Congress Salcete used to be its fortress and come 2017, the party is trying its best to recapture its old bastion.  For perspective, Congress won 16 seats in 2002 and 6 of those were from Salcete. After the 2007 elections, the Congress led government had 7 Salcete MLAs including 2 from the now defunct Save Goa Front and one from NCP.

A walk down history lane will show how the Party who won 6 seats from Salcete in 2002 were reduced to just 2 seats a decade later in 2012.  Currently, the BJP government enjoys the support of 5 Salcete MLAs and this makes it all the more a daunting task for Congress.

Across Salcete, the general consensus is that the GPCC will wait till April before it gives a clear message as to which candidates they will pick for the eight constituencies.  With the exception of Margao, Velim and Curtorim where the seats are expected to be given to a sitting or a former MLA, the trouble lies with the remaining constituencies of Cuncolim, Navelim, Fatorda Benaulim and Nuvem. 

Comparisons are made to the previous election campaign where Congress workers feel the party waited too late and that the lack of clarity at this juncture will backfire in the long run.

Spend a day in the constituencies Salcete and the locals will tell you that the party still has miles to go before it can come across as a formidable challenger in the taluka.  This is significant as the party wants to contest all seats not just from Salcete or South Goa but all over Goa and have been categorically dismissing any talk of a grand alliance. A conversation at the Chinchinim tinto sums up the public opinion among Xaxtikar’s about Congress stated plans.  “Congress first needs to have an alliance between them and then have a grand alliance” said a seafarer.

Interestingly the political discussion was about potential candidates interested in contesting the elections in Velim in general and when it veered to which party had the strongest chance of forming the next government, everyone referred to the rumblings within the Congress and how this would be its ultimate undoing.   This is from same constituency that gave Congress the biggest lead for the 2014 lok sabha elections.

Velim: Will it be V for victory in Velim

Velim holds great importance to GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro who kicked of his campaign to rejuvenate the party in October 2014. He returned to the constituency this October for a quick meeting at the residence of three time former MLA Felipe Neri Rodrigues before the party’s Lohia Maidan meet to mobilise support. While Rodrigues is said to be the favourite for the ticket, there are talks about other local leaders who could vie for the same space. 

Benaulim blues

It is this Lohia Maidan that is the bone of contention in Benaulim constituency as the old faces versus new faces debate rages on.  Even as Faleiro’s blue eyed boy and block president Edwin Barreto has been a loyal soldier, the chatter in Benaulim is about how Edwin did not get a place on the dais at the Lohia Maidan meeting. “If the Congress sticks to its old faces, it might as well concede defeat to the BJP as they won’t stand a chance. In Benaulim, the last time Congress won this seat was in 1999,” said a fishermen George Coelho.

Locals at a popular restaurant feel that a regional party has a better chance of winning the Benaulim seat.  When asked to elaborate, they draw an analogy in Konkani to a piece of sugarcane that has no value after it’s repeatedly that is put through an extraction machine repeatedly. 

Benaulim was the home of the ‘family raj’ that Congress workers believe cost the party in the 2012 and with the Alemao’s not featuring in Congress plans or that of Youth Congress, there are strong calls for the party to give a platform for fresh faces. 

Fighting fires in Cuncolim

 While in Benaulim the issue is about the party’s ability to win in Benaulim, in Cuncolim the issue is about the candidate’s ability to win the seat and this has left the party a divided house.

So much so, the infighting and squabbles among the Cuncolim congressmen dominates any discussion about theCongress in the historic town and it appears that party will drain its energy in fire fighting in Cuncolim instead of trying to capitalise on the BJP decline in its home constituency.

Interestingly, the issue here is not so much about new faces versus old faces but about new entrants to the party versus old timers with ZP member Clafasio Dias, former assembly contestant John Monteiro, former chairperson Devendra Dessai and former MLA Joaquim Alemao vying for the seat.

 “You criticise the party on one side that it is not giving a chance to new faces. Now when we are pushing for new faces, you are criticising the party over this also. ” said a staunch Congressman at the Cuncolim bus stand who is upset that the dirty linen is being washed in public.

Will Margao dial D for Diggu? The lines are busy

While one municipal headquarters is in disarray for Congress, the other municipal headquarters at Margao is sporting an upbeat look in contrast. Former chief minister Digambar Kamat is being projected as the face of the party for South Goa and Salcete and has received public endorsement from Luzinho about how the five time Margao MLA will usher in a ‘sea of change’.

At the ross omelette gaddas, Digambar and his supporters new found obsession with ‘ Daam Baab’ chants are the source of laughter but jokes aside, Madvankars rue the fact the a divided BJP and the absence of a strong minority leader could ensure that Digambar can win again. 

There are hardened Digambar detractors who swear that his time is up and list the endless amount of alleged scams they believe Digambar is involved in and the same is definitely fodder his opposition will use against the Congress.  

Fatorda: Who will be forward?

The grapevine is that AICC general secretary Girish Chodankar will be the Fatorda candidate if there is no ‘Mahagatbandan’ with the third front and former assembly contestant Piedade Noronha is also in the race.   The only gadbandan seems to be with the opponents of the sitting MLA, a former Congress general secretary and questioned have been raised if the Congress are missing a great chance of getting the Fatorda seat in view of BJP recent whitewash in the municipal elections .

 “Congress can never seem to get it right in Fatorda.  After losing to BJP twice, the Congress block was virtually nonexistent for the last five years.  Now it has Camilo Barreto who contested against Fatorda block President Tito Cardozo in the MMC polls and similar grouping of Sardesai’s opponents,” observed a businessman Siddesh Naik.

Curtorim: As always, it will be Sardinha vs Reginaldo

In the idyllic village of Curtorim, the only questions doing the rounds is if 2017 will see a repeat of 2007 where Francisco Sardinha will contest against a rebel congressman. Rumour has it that if Reginaldo joins the third front floated by Sardesai, Sardinha is most likely to be the Congress candidate from Curtorim. The local banter at the bakery is about petty games of one man upmanshp between the two political heavy weights and the memory of junior Sardinha quitting the party and contesting against Reginaldo for the lok sabha elections is still fresh among the Curtorkars. Core congressmen however feel the that Congress party only stands to lose if such a contest is encouraged and BJP could make inroads having  in the three municipal wards of Curtorim.

Nuvem: The news isn’t all very good

Move over to neighbourhood Nuvem constituency and Nuvem locals big up the chances of ZP member Wilfred Babashan D’sa in defeating Goa Vikas Party Supremo Francisco Mickky Pacheco. However, Babashan is far from the obvious choice among workers. Nuvem block president Everson Vales  is vocal about how GPCC Vice president Moti Desai, Faleiro’s hatchet man I creating divisions and confusion in places like Nuvem by officially favouring “imported congressmen”

Navelim: Back home for Luizinho or will he play Godfather

The biggest mystery is said to be Navelim for the Congress where Luzinho’s relationship with the Avertano Furtado family is under scanner and viewed as a reason for Luizinho’s reluctance to talk about who will contest from Navelim.

“The Congress usually goes for a candidate that has the resources to take care of his campaign and a proven track record of supporters from prior elections,” said Raul Lopez senior citizen of Navelim while discussing the potential candidates for Navelim.

With Luizinho himself considered to be contender among the Navelim locals, a section of Congress men have called upon Luizinho to name the Navelim candidate first whereas NCP has already made public its intention for Navelim.