The pre-election jitters are showing in South Goa as BJP and Congress continue to play the waiting game in announcing candidates even though election dates have been announced last weekend. While Congress has made its mind clear that it is going to unveil the name only after the BJP does, the saffron brigade has been giving “tarik pe tarik” indicating that it is in a Catch-22 situation.
The delay by the BJP could either be strategic or a quirky phase of indecisiveness. While the move to scout for women candidates is perceived as an attempt to unsettle the Opposition and give some meaning to the delay, a source in the party’s inner circles explains that a search for a woman candidate began after reports sent to the high command on the two front-runners were not very impressive.
Considering the winnability factor, the BJP will take a calculated call between former MP Narendra Sawaikar and former Quepem MLA Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar, and may not run the risk of going with a woman candidate. Whichever way one sees it, the party appears to be playing a waiting game closely analysing the arithmetic of BJP candidates versus Congress probables.
Interestingly, the uncertainties of electoral politics are haunting both BJP and Congress at this juncture, but it is the saffron brigade that is facing the embarrassment in view of the confidence it has been exuding all along. It may be recalled that the BJP leadership has gone to town claiming a victory margin of over one lakh votes in South Goa and Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat endorsed that thought. It now appears there is a complete mismatch to the confidence that the BJP was showing as it is still struggling to find a suitable match to fight the Congress.
The argument that the high command is still clearing candidates for the larger states and that the South Goa name would be announced in the next two days sounds hollow against the fact that the North Goa candidate was announced a good fortnight ago. There is no logic in announcing one candidate and holding back the other, if there is no roadblock there.
On the flip side, the mere fact that the BJP is dragging its feet should give Congress some self-belief and confidence going into this critical South Goa seat, especially in a landscape which is propelled by Congress-turned-BJP leaders.
While probable candidates from both parties have unofficially begun their campaigns, the delay is not going to hurt the Congress alone, but the BJP as well. At least, Congress is attuned to such inconsistencies and last-minute selections. The Congress, nonetheless, has worries of a different kind. The party is known for chaos, rebellion and dissent when it comes to discarding probable candidates. We have seen in the past how leaders who have fallen out of favour revolt against the party and even contest against the official nominee, a sight not seen in the BJP.
While the search continues for candidates, both parties have kept the electoral field wide open, shifting the focus on the Lok Sabha election completely to South Goa.
