Think Quepem, think Ganesh lotteries offering high end cars as prizes. Think Quepem, think protests by tribals of Caurem protesting against rapacious mining and endless lines of dusty mining trucks lining up to unload the ore at the nearest available jetty.
For a long time Quepem has represented the two sides — both the good and the bad of Goa’s mining industry. The good being the wealth that the industry had brought into some people’s hands as they earned off the ore being sold and transported and the bad as the money brought in corruption, road accidents, dusty streets and farmers being affected.
One man has seen it all. Chandrakant “Babu” Kavlekar has represented the Quepem constituency since 2002 all through the rise and fall of the mining boom and is still standing strong — only now in the BJP after being in the Congress for nearly two decades.
In neighbouring Curchorem constituency that also falls in the Quepem constituency it’s the BJP’s Nilesh Cabral that is ruling the roost for the better part of the last two terms having defeated his own mentor Shyam Satardekar of the Congress.
Quepem is a funny taluka. It boasts two constituencies — Quepem and Curchorem but parts of the taluka also fall in the Cuncolim constituency while others fall in the Sanguem constituency. Presently three of the four constituencies are represented by the BJP. Quepem and Cuncolim became the BJP’s after Kavlekar and Clafasio Dias shifted to the BJP. Curchorem was with the BJP ever since Nilesh Cabral won the seat back in 2012.
The question now is which way will the taluka vote this time round. Kavlekar, backed by an impressive showing in the Quepem municipal council polls, is confident of retaining the seat this time on a BJP ticket. It will be the first time that he is contesting on a BJP ticket and while he remains confident there are many possible pitfalls along the way — most notably a possible desertion of the Catholic vote that could move towards the Congress candidate Altone D’Costa who is gunning for the seat and appears eager to wrest it from Kavlekar.
In neighbouring Curchorem, Cabral it appears, is in two minds — should he stick with the BJP that could affect his chances of getting reelected given the high anti-incumbency or will he jump ship to another political party. Will Cabral’s opponents be able to come together and defeat him or will the split in the opposition vote result in Cabral once again being reelected.
Has the shutdown in mining severely affected the candidates ability to spend money this election unlike in the past and what off the environmental and equity concerns that were once major election issues in this mining heartland?
Public memory is short — or so they say — but it wasn’t long ago when Quepem was the hotspot of major protests against mining — the markings on the road are still testimony to the fact that the roads were once lined with trucks bumper to bumper across the green hillsides. The politicians have gone quiet too.
By – Andrea Fernandes
