Goa 2022: Why despite vicious campaigning by rivals, Congress is still the front runner

Till recently the meme ‘Vote for the Congress and get a BJP MLA’ was circulating on social media in Goa. The allusion was to the wholesale defection of elected Congress MLAs to the BJP after the last election. While 17 MLAs had won as Congress candidates in 2017, only two remain with the party and only one of them, Digambar Kamat, contesting in 2022 with Pratapsingh Raoji Rane sitting out.

Both AAP and TMC have tried to mock the Congress and told voters that any vote to the Congress would merely help the BJP as the Congress MLAs would again defect.

But in 2022 the Congress appears more determined, better organised and working to a well thought out plan. It has firmly rebuffed all overtures by defectors, several of whom apparently expressed their wish for ‘Ghar Wapsi’.

Unlike 2017, the party has stiched an alliance with Goa Forwards Party, announced its candidates well before polling and has been ready with replacements for them. Contesting 37 seats on its own, the party has fielded mostly freshers with a clean slate; and not only made the candidates take public pledges against defection at a temple, a church and a dargah but also sign an affidavit swearing that they would not defect. None of which will stop them from defecting but they would be hard put to explain their conduct if they do.

Says Digambar Kamat, “People can see Congress is serious and defection is no longer an issue. Candidates too will now be answerable to the people if they defect.”

“The party in Goa today is being seen as a new Congress, different from what it was earlier,” observes political commentator Dr. Manoj Kamat, explaining that the party no longer seems to depend on personality cults.

Congress showed courage and firmness in showing the door to former chief minister Ravi Naik, who eventually joined the BJP. In Ravi Naik’s constituency Ponda, from where he is now the BJP candidate, the Congress announced the candidature of Rajesh Vernekar six months ago.

Similarly, the party had a candidate ready to replace former CM Luizinho Faleiro, who resigned as Congress MLA to join the TMC. This is being seen to be a positive change from 2018- 19, when the state unit chief Girish Chodankar stood as the North Goa Lok Sabha candidate indicating a dearth of candidates.

“A sense of preparedness can be seen in other constituencies as well. Wherever the Congress had a big leader who they thought displayed even the slightest indications of deserting the party, they had a Plan B ready,” Dr. Kamat says. Congress of 2022 is certainly unforgiving and not following its tradition of forgive and forget, concurs advocate Radharao Gracias.

Congress also backed its block-level party workers and stood by them. Its candidate from Mormugao, Sankalp Amonkar, exposed an alleged sex scandal which forced a minister to resign. Like Amonkar, the party has also backed Altone D’Costa as its candidate from Quepem against current deputy CM and former Congressman Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar. Janardhan Bhandari the Canacona candidate is also a dedicated party worker and a clean face.

“In the last six months, the Congress has shown its aggressive side, leaving no opportunity to create noise when the government was wrong. It did not waste time in backing real issues till the very end,” Dr. Kamat says. From Covid mismanagement to price rise and marking its opposition to the issue of coal transportation, forest cutting and environmental issues, the party has been consistent in its opposition.

GFP leader Vijai Sardessai says, “When people compare the new Congress, which has fielded 75% new faces in these elections, with the BJP, the contrast is stark. Nearly 50% of candidates fielded by the ruling party are defectors or from defector families,” he points out. “This pre-poll alliance is a manifestation of my vision of Team Goa and we have made sacrifices for it,” he says.

Adding weightage to the Congress campaign in North Goa is the induction of Michael Lobo, the two-term MLA from Calangute, who till recently was a minister in the BJP government. His wife Delilah too has been given a ticket.

Former State Election Commissioner and political analyst Prabhakar Timblo believes that the Congress will form the next government in the coastal state. “The anti-incumbency levels are very high, and that will work against BJP. I expect the Congress to do well so long as it projects the right candidates,” he says.

VOTERS’ VOICE

Nilesh Shirodkar (Unemployed youth)

I see this election as an opportunity to elect a Govt that works. The focus on the development of youth, especially those living in rural Goa has been missing. Education and employment generation has to be taken up on an urgent basis.

Vivek Menezes (Columnist)

This election is being fought on 3 ‘P’s. This is the first post-pandemic election, first post-Parrikar election and an election with huge antiincumbency due to poor governance.

Dr. Oscar Rebello (Medical practitioner)

For the last two decades nothing has changed about Goa’s politics. It’s not the politicians but the electorate which should be blamed because they keep electing the same people and then expect good governance and a change in the state.

Jude Souza Lobo (Hotelier)

There is a lot of discrimination in the tourism and hospitality industry in Goa. Applications by a Goan restaurateur will take forever to get processed but if someone from Delhi submits an application, it’s processed in no time. What we are asking for is a level playing field.

Priti Gawas (Student)

“During the pandemic, Goa’s healthcare, data and communications networks were exposed. But little has been done to improve these services so as to benefit the rural population and students.

Viresh Naik (IT professional)

“If we do not elect the right people, then Goa will soon become a large dumping ground for garbage, since a proper solid waste plan has remained on paper. We may not like casinos, but they are here to stay. So, why not elect a government that regulates it? The same applies to protecting the environment and coal transportation.

(This article was first published in National Herald on Sunday)