Questions blowing in the winds of Goa

Goa is a beautiful and diverse part of India, known for its beaches, food, language and cultural diversity, historical buildings, rivers, unique biodiversity and the iron ore that is mined on its hills. It has been in the national spotlight for its politics. While the Congress ruled the state, other local and national parties have also had a say. In the last elections, Congress won 17 of the seats in the 40 member assembly but the BJP, with 13 seats, was able to grab power in alliance with other local parties like Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independents. In 2019 BJP CM Manohar Parrikar passed away due to pancreatic cancer. Pramod Sawant took over as CM and ruled the state till the term ended, during which ten Congress legislators moved to the BJP.

The electoral field has now turned diverse as non-local parties; including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have joined the fray. AAP and NCP are contesting for the second time. In 2017, AAP contested 39 seats and won 6% of the vote but no seats. NCP got one seat with 2.3% of the vote. An upbeat AAP is facing the elections alone. TMC has allied with MGP, which had three candidates and has even led the government in Goa in the past.

The Shiv Sena and the NCP have formed an alliance. These two, with the Congress, form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government ruling in Maharashtra. But Congress, which had an overall vote share of 28.4%, compared with 32.5% of the BJP, fancies its chances, given the anti-incumbency factor and decided to go without MVA partners, but in alliance with Goa Forward Party, which took just 3.5% of votes last time round but won 3 seats. The Congress has given it three seats and is contesting 37 seats. 

Defections

Many sitting MLAs of BJP have quit, offended by the seat distribution. Utpal Parrikar, son of late Manohar Parrikar, was denied his father’s Constituency Panjim and is contesting as an independent. The BJP candidate is Anastasio Monserrate, who led six other Congress defectors to BJP and has a reputation for unsavoury political activities. The third candidate there is Elvis Gomes, a former bureaucrat and also former head of the AAP in Goa who quit several months ago to join the Congress. AAP has fielded Valmiki Naik.

The Congress which lost almost all but two of its sitting MLAs to defections, made all its candidates swear that they will not defect once elected, at a temple, a mosque and a church a few days ago. They again took the oath in the presence of Rahul Gandhi who visited the state to campaign on 4th February.

AAP went a step further, making its candidates sign affidavits stating they will not defect after winning their seats:.“....[t] his affidavit has no meaning. It is a move by parties to give assurance to the voters that their candidates will not defect. It has no legal effect”, says Ferdino Rebello, retd. Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court. “They are in the nature of reassurance given to voters. But even if they don’t adhere to the oath, they cannot be prosecuted for giving false evidence,” says Justice A N Britto, former judge, Bombay High Court. As the legislator goes against the wishes of the electorate who elect them on a party symbol, the affidavit is more of a moral impediment, say legal experts.

Dynasts The presence of the TMC, AAP, and Shiv Sena adds some spice to the fight. Voters, disappointed with endless defections plaguing the state and dominance of a few families with business and political interests in the state, now have some choice. The mood seems to be for change. Interestingly, there are as many as five couples contesting elections. The BJP has given tickets to two couples and also another of its leaders is contesting while his wife is contesting as an independent, and is the daughterin-law of the Congress candidate, who retired from the fray in her favour. Monserrat contests from Panjim while his wife is seeking election from Taleigao. Deputy CM Chandrakant Kavlekar has been fielded from Quepem but his wife, denied a seat, is contesting as an independent from Sanguem. They had both contested earlier from these seats as Congress candidates, and she had lost while the husband won.

while the husband won. Congress is fielding Michael Lobo from Calangute. He quit the BJP after his wife was denied a ticket. She is trying out her first election in Siolim. The TMC has fielded Kiran Kandolkar, from Aldona while his wife Kavita is fielded from Thivim. He left the Goa Forward party to join TMC.

Opinion polls show BJP as the likely winner, but Congress hopes to keep its steady voters and gain from its alliance partner. AAP is likely to open its account, and even chose a CM face in Amit Palekar, a young lawyer from the numerically significant but politically underrepresen