Between 1999 and 2017 — a tenure more than fifteen years — the BJP ruled Sanguem constituency, first through Vasudev Meng Gaonkar who represented the constituency until 2012 and then through Subhas Phaldessai who was the MLA in 2012.
It was Prasad Gaonkar who broke the BJP’s stranglehold when he, as an independent MLA, defeated Phaldessai by around a thousand votes. This he managed to pull off despite a challenge from Savitri Kavlekar of the Congress who herself was able to draw about 5,000 odd votes. Such was the fury against the BJP in 2017 that it engulfed Subhash Phaldessai.
Fast forward to 2021 and Phaldessai is gung ho about reclaiming his seat. Gaonkar is now with the Trinamool Congress — though he is yet to formally join the party, it is expected that he will contest on a Trinamool seat.
Gaonkar, who was hobnobbing with the Congress until the TMC’s entry into the state looked poised to enter the Congress, but with the TMC giving him a better offer and with Gaonkar in need of money to fund his campaign the TMC was able to win him over.
What this means is that the Congress is significantly weakened in the constituency that it very nearly won back in 2012 when Yuri Alemao came close to winning the seat only to lose out by around 400 votes despite there being an anti-BJP and particularly an anti-Alemao vote back then.
Life is different now, mining has come to a halt reducing the ability of the candidates to splurge money and leaving the people to fend for themselves amid a slowdown.
This nature-rich and diverse constituency that is home to villages like Netravali and others have unique issues like connectivity, regular water and power supply and being far from the coast has meant the constituency has remained left out even as individuals have grown rich at the cost of the environment.
Will a division of votes between the Prasad Gaonkar and the Congress candidate amid a renewed fight by the BJP result in a favourable situation for the BJP?
Or will Gaonkar this time armed with ample funds from the TMC be able to pull off what he did last time and defeat both the BJP and the Congress in one swipe.
Much remains to be seen as the election draws closer and people start publicly stating who they are backing the picture will become clearer.
This wide expansive constituency could do with a dose of good leadership especially despite voting for the BJP for successive elections, not much seems to have changed in the rural hinterland. Will Sawant’s promise to restart mining through an auction come just in time to help the BJP? Or will there be a dark horse who emerges?
By – Andrea Fernandes
