For the Congress party, the Panaji by-poll appears to be just another election. While Congress across the country was buoyed by the stunning Rajya Sabha win of Ahmed Patel in Gujarat, in Goa the political scene was distinctly different. Even as Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Babu Kavalekar proudly announced that Patel's win has strengthened the party's resolve to return to power, the crucial meet convened by GPCC president Shantaram Naik got a dismal response with only 6 out of the 16 legislators attending.
A clear lack of strategy in fighting a heavyweight of Manohar Parrikar's stature is visible as Congress candidate Girish Chodankar swiftly moves from door-to-door amid sweltering heat and intermittent showers with his workers in tow. The Congress has flagged off its campaign punching holes at Parrikar's Smart City concept, but the party must understand that this is not an issue which can turn the tide. There is no clear agenda that the party has set, neither has the party outlined any roadmap for the constituency. They have been harping on the failures of Parrikar while raising issues like casinos, nationalisation of rivers, stealing of mandate, St. Inez creek and garbage. Agreed, that Girish as a candidate is fair, honest, upright, etc. But what's new that he brings to the table? Why would Panaji vote for Girish? Can he get those numbers by merely criticising the opposition?
If Congress portrays itself as an alternative to Panjim, it must roll out a clear plan, beyond that of communal numbers. In Girish, the Congress is eyeing a sizeable Bahujan-Bhandari vote-bank which is around 9500. Coupled with this, the Congress is also banking very heavily on the minority Catholic vote which is over 7000, with a firm belief that there is a strong resentment against the BJP within this section.
The math, however, may not work out as it is made out to be. Girish cannot be assured of a majority of Bahujan-Bhandari vote just because he belongs to that community. More than the number crunching, a change in strategy is needed if Girish has ambitions of becoming a giant-killer. The campaign which is run on the lines of CCP elections where the party managed to draw a blank, should change. Lessons should have been learnt. Congress must realise that it is not a force to reckon with in the capital city, neither does it have a strong base. It's Block leaders, social leaders and volunteers which have a fair command over their respective voters, should have been activated, instead of just the door-to-door campaigns. It's not about sweat politics but smart politics. The AAP has decided not to field its candidate and the Congress claims they have their backing. If that is the case why was the AAP think-tank not taken on board? Babush has been silent and there are no directives given to his corporators till now. Congress should have capitalised on this. The entire strength of Congress should have been on display in this do-or-die contest. To pull off an Ahmed Patel-type thriller, you need grit, determination and political acumen to beat the Opposition in their own territory.
