More than three days after the results of the 2022 Goa legislative assembly are out there is little clarity on when Goa will have a new government, much less on who the next chief minister will be. The only answer that we have been given so far by acting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, as well as MLAs-elect of the Goa Legislative Assembly, is that they are awaiting the arrival of the party’s high command -- styled as central parliamentary committee observers -- who will hear the elected MLAs out and then take a decision. This comes amid reports that there are differences and emerging power centres within the ruling BJP that is leading to the delay in finalising.
Nothing could be more insulting to the Goan voter. The voters of Goa have elected the MLAs to represent them over the next five years. They haven’t elected or chosen the BJP high command to take decisions for them. If the BJP high command wants to take every decision thereby indicating that they have no faith in their elected candidates, it once again sets a very poor precedent of ‘remote-controlled’ governance.
What we are witnessing is a blatant disregard to the opinion of the party’s elected MLAs with even chief minister Pramod Sawant clueless about his leadership and keeps pointing at the central observers. What we don’t understand is Sawant and key BJP leaders speaking a different language entirely -- one in which they completely seek to credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central leadership for the success of the party at the recently held hustings.
Despite the criticism of high command cultures being imposed on States, it appears that the BJP that has elected to rule the state for the next five years has outsourced its decision-making to a handful of people sitting somewhere in Delhi. To us that completely sounds like an abdication of responsibility and throws into question the extent to which the new government will go to protect the interests of Goa and Goans vis-a-vis the larger interests of the Central leadership.
Much against the projection of Pramod Sawant as the chief ministerial face ahead of elections, this delay has only led to intense lobbying with at least two power centres emerging within the ruling BJP camp each trying to further his interest or create a space for themselves within the ruling BJP with an agenda of their own.
The delay in government-formation and naming of the chief minister, when an election has been won comfortably, gives rise to a suspicion that the high command hasn’t made up its mind and is still assessing who will be of better use to them based on their interests rather than the state’s interest.
The entire process over the last three days reeks of nothing but contempt for the people of Goa who are not considered important enough for the party to decide soon enough who will lead the next government in the state.
