Lying midway between Goa’s coast to the west and the Western Ghats to the east, Goa’s Bicholim taluka is somewhat stuck in the doldrums — a case of neither here nor there and much of that has reflected in the character of the taluka.

To avail of a good job in Goa, the people of this taluka have had to migrate to Goa’s more urban areas or be involved in mining. Emigrate because the taluka was for decades together poorly connected to the state capital city despite being not very far as the crow flies. It was only after under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar and the building of two bridges — from Aldona to Corjuem and to Poira and Amona to Marcel that some semblance of connectivity came for the taluka.

Made up of three constituencies — Bicholim, Sanquelim and Maem (with part of Maem constituency including Chorao island which falls in Tiswadi taluka) the BJP is hoping for a clean sweep as it did in 2017 when Rajesh Patnekar won from Bicholim, Pramod Sawant won from Sanquelim and Harish Zantye won from Maem.

But that hasn’t always been the case. In 2012, Naresh Sawal was elected as a independent from Bicholim at the expense of Rajesh Patnekar who incidentally had quit the BJP and joined the Congress on the prodding of Vishwajit Rane only to lose his seat while Sawal who was a Congressman until then, quit in protest and contested as an independent. In neighbouring Sanquelim Pramod Sawant was elected polling more than double the votes of Pratap Gauns of the Congress then a sitting MLA. In Maem the BJP’s Anant Shet retained his seat defeating nearest rival Pravin Zantye who was then contesting as an independent the “Congress” seat having been handed to Rudresh Chodankar who was contesting on an NCP ticket sponsored by Vishwajit Rane.

In truth Bicholim taluka has never voted in unison. While predominantly a taluka dominated by the Bahujan Samaj, the constituency has long faced neglect from those in power who only looked upon it for the mineral wealth that lay beneath. With mining now having come to a halt, having never really recovered after the 2012 ban, the taluka is once again up for grabs.

Unlike other constituencies where the BJP may be facing a problem of plenty, in Bicholim taluka the party has very little to do in terms of choosing candidates — Patnekar and Sawant are sure to retain their seats with questions marks only above Pravin Zantye who is facing very vocal opposition and anti incumbency form people of the state who accuse the cashewnut magnate of neglecting them.

Patnekar is expected to go up against Naresh Sawal this time on an MGP ticket (he narrowly lost in 2017) and Meghashyam Raut of the Congress in what is likely to be a three cornered fight — depending of course on the final alliances that are to be worked out. In neighbouring Sanquelim the Congress holds control of the Sanquelim Municipal Council after wresting the seat from the BJP and holding on to it despite the ruling BJP deploying every trick in the book to ensure that their man remains chairperson. But Sawant retains hold of the rural areas of the taluka which gives him an edge in the constituency.

That leaves us with Maem where there is more than one player eying a chance to wrest the seat. The Goa Forward’s Santosh Kumar Sawant, who was with the Congress in 2017 is also hoping for a shot.

Much remains up in the air for this taluka that many in the major political parties seem to take for granted, yet it remains a significant stepping stone towards acquiring power in the state. It’s here that the BJP has a clear advantage. Can it make it count?

By – Andrea Fernandes

The post Lying midway between Goa’s coast to the west and the Western Ghats to the east, Goa’s Bicholim taluka is somewhat stuck in the doldrums. appeared first on RDX Goa.

If the BJP is in power in the state of Goa today, they have the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party to thank. Well, obviously because the two parties — more particularly the Goa Forward Party — that led a fierce campaign against the BJP prior to the elections, made an about turn, and decided to support the BJP if Manohar Parrikar was made Chief Minister.

It later transpired that the BJP and the Goa Forward Party had a secret understanding even before the election results were out that they would combine forces.

But coalition partners aside, there is one other thing that the BJP has to be grateful for — the people of Mormugao taluka. Four out of the four seats in Mormugao taluka were won by the BJP without which, the party’s tally would have been a paltry nine — the same number the Congress was reduced to back in 2012.

Vasco, Mormugao, Dabolim and Cortalim all represented by BJP MLA’s was what saved the BJP’s face in 2017.

And it didn’t come easy. Milind Naik, now a minister, defeated his nearest rival Sankalp Amonkar of the Congress by less than 50 votes, the narrowest margin of the entire election. Alina Saldanha of the Cortalim constituency won by a narrow margin that was largely down to a split of votes among her rivals which included her nephew Olencio Simoes of the AAP.

The four seats of Mormugao may not seem like much, but aside from the Dabolim constituency, in which minister Mauvin Godinho, it appears, is on a very sure footing, the other three seats in the constituency are anybody’s game leaving the opposition parties smacking their lips at taking a shot of wrestling these seats from the BJP.

Take the example of the Vasco seat. Presently represented by two-time MLA Carlos Almeida of the BJP, the seat is very likely to see a change of face. And the change may come from within with the BJP said to be mulling replacing its current MLA with another candidate Daji Salkar. Almeida’s reported health issues have not helped his cause. A new face may help the BJP counter the anti-incumbency that it is facing in that seat.

The BJP’s Mormugao seat too is up for grabs present MLA Milind Naik’s lackadaisical performance and his narrow margin making a reelection difficult. With the Congress breathing down his neck, Naik will have to pull all his might if he is to ensure victory. But he is not one to go down without a fight.

In Cortalim, BJP MLA Alina Saldanha too is facing a wave of anti incumbency especially fueled by her party’s insistence of going forward with the double tracking of the railway line and unwillingness to listen to the grievances of the people concerning coal handling at the nearby Mormugao Port. The Congress seems best placed to cash in but will have to be wary of a repeat of the situation last year when a split of votes between the various rivals ensured that Alina was elected for a second term.

For now the jury is still out on which way the constituency will vote that makes it one of the most interesting talukas to keep an eye on ahead of the coming polls.

By – Andrea Fernandes

The post If the BJP is in power in the state of Goa today, they have the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party to thank appeared first on RDX Goa.