PANAJI: What is it that is getting regional satraps such as Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP), Sharad Yadav's Janata Dal (U) (JD-U), Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TC) and the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDI) backed by the Popular Front of India (PFI), a confederation of Muslim organizations, to field candidates for the Goa assembly elections?
The first to announce that her party will contest the Goa elections was of course Mamata Didi's TC, with the induction of former chief minister and veteran leader Wilfred de Souza as state unit president. Soon, one following the other, parties have pitch-forked to seek a pie in the 40-seat assembly and are desperately searching for candidates to field.
Most of these perhaps want to cash in on the anti-Congress feeling building up in the Goan electorate's mind. Issues such as the controversial Regional Plan 2021, illegal mining, deep-rooted corruption, ineffective governance, infighting amongst Congressmen have reached a crescendo. This will be their best chance to register percentages to their vote bank, if not win an odd seat here.
With the BJP tying up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)-the local regional force-this is the best chance for the alliance to come to power. In the 2007 elections, BJP won 14 seats and the MGP won two seats, when the parties had contested separately. The MGP went on to align with the Congress-NCP alliance, enabling them to come to power with the tally of the Congress-led alliance going up to 21.
The Goan electorate probably for the first time ever will have a bouquet of options when they stand before the electronic voting machine (EVM) on March 3. This time around, the non-Goan regional satraps may eat into the vote bank of the Congress-led alliance, say political analysts.
However, there is always a surprise element that is possible in Goa, since in many seats, individual players matter more than the party.
SP says it will take up Goa's land issues. "Goa is a small place. Its size is not even half that of a district in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The land of Goa is being destroyed at a fast pace. Our hills are being cut, beaches are disappearing. Soon, there will be nothing left. What have the Congress, NCP and BJP done for Goa-nothing. SP will contest 10 seats and bring about a change in Goa," said state unit president Rohidas Shirodkar.
Asked if it was not too late for the party to make an impact on the political scene, Shirodkar replied, "Yes, we have started late. But, we want to get a feel of the electorate. We are confident that we can challenge the existing political set up."
TC says it will contest all 40 seats in the Goa assembly. De Souza said the reason for bringing the regional political outfit to Goa is because of the Congress' mishandling of Goan issues. "They are killing the environment; the way they are handling the mining scam and even the regional plan," de Souza said.
JD(U) says it has come to bring in change in Goa as the ruling dispensation and the opposition "failed miserably" in the state, which is being run by the real estate lobby and where rampant looting through mining is being carried out.
JD(U) plans to contest 10 seats. "We promise Goa and Goans a change. Whether we win or not, we will continue to fight for social issues in Goa. Our first issue is illegal mining, second is RP 2021 and third is special status for Goa-not in terms of an economic package but in terms of saving Goan land that is now being sold to non-Goans. We have 20 Members of Parliament at the centre so we will fight for a special package for Goa," said state unit president John Phillip Pereira.
SDPI is in the process of finalizing its candidates from the minority communities including the scheduled castes, tribes and dalits, sources said. "SDPI will field candidates in seven or eight constituencies. We want to bring in positive politics in the electoral system. No money or muscle power will be used in our campaign for the election," said state unit president Zia Rickarty.
LJP says it is ready to contest all 40 constituencies in Goa. The party's Gujarat unit president and Goa desk in-charge Mukesh Gujjar said, "The political situation in Goa is fragile. The government doesn't know to run the administration. Chief minister Digambar Kamat is incompetent." The party's candidates will be from a local outfit Gomantak Bahujan Samaj Parishad working for the backward class, SC/ST/OBC and minority communities.
Thanks the times of india mobile
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