Days after Aam Aadmi Party candidates signed affidavits pledging against defection if elected, it was the turn of Congress on Friday. Party candidates along with alliance partners Goa Forward took a pledge by the Constitution of India, in the presence of senior leader Rahul Gandhi, that they will not defect, nor quit the party during the term of the Assembly, if elected. Congressmen felt that this was required to rebuild the trust of the people after what had happened in 2019. It was only a couple of weeks back that the State Congress leadership paraded candidates in a church and temple taking vows of not defecting or changing parties.
Goa which has earned notoriety for defections over the years is hitting national headlines for these deceiving and pointless damage-control pranks that are purely aimed at targeting electoral sentiment. If we may ask once again, what do these pledges and swearing mean? Do they hold a guarantee of any kind, or are parties just trying to pull the wool over the eyes of voters by forcing them into believing that the worst is behind and they are a better lot? The question before the voter is whether parties like Congress, MGP, AAP and others can stand guarantee over their candidates not crossing over, if yes, on what basis? Is this purely on the basis of faith? So, why should the electorate fall for these promises?
There can’t be a guarantee based on vows before God and Constitution. These attempts reek of helplessness, rather than sincerity. The frustration in the system emanates from the fact that parties like Congress keep promising of cleaning up the mess, but end up doing very little. Red carpet welcomes are given to deserters and past rebels. While the selection criteria this time around has seen some level of sincerity, there are no serious attempts to stem the rot and rebuild.
As much as there is no guarantee on which way Independents would go, likewise, there's no guarantee that Goa will not see a repeat of 2019 should there be a hung assembly. Politics in Goa has been ruthlessly about power. These candidates are contesting not only for getting elected but with the hope that they will be part of the government. Everyone is in a hurry, to contest, to win, and to taste power. Nobody wants to spend a 5-year tenure relegated to the Opposition ranks, doing mere social service and spending money from their own pockets. Contesting elections do come at a hefty price and candidates end up spending crores of rupees, the Election Code of Conduct notwithstanding. That's the sorry side of the current political scene and however downgrading it may seem, that’s politics for you.
Goans have been gullible, and have often fallen to the political emotions of players. Development has often been pretentiously used to achieve personal goals and which is why everyone defecting blames it on development. It's time to reject such outlandish gestures of taking oaths, pledges and promises of saving Goa or converting it into la-la land. It's time to stay grounded and vote conscientiously.
