The coming together of Congress-Goa Forward and NCP in the Municipal elections with the sole objective of fighting the BJP appears to be a strategic move to derail the saffron run. Apparently, the Opposition has done its homework after the recent drubbing at the Zilla Panchayat elections. Now that Congress, Goa Forward and NCP have broken the ice, the coming together of the three opens up new political vistas and will have wider repercussions on the 2022 Assembly.
The Congress however will be in a dilemma given the internal differences in extending a hand to Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai. It may be noted that GPCC President Girish Chodankar has maintained a stoic silence over moves of an alliance for civic polls, while South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha publicly made his displeasure known. Margao MLA and Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat, with the approval of Congress Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Rao, has taken a calculated gamble that gives an early indication of a change in party strategy. The Congress decision on alliance means that the party is ready to shed some of its baggage and look at the elections with new perspectives.
The decision to join forces comes at a time when a section of Congress had taken a hardline stand in the past not to ally with Sardessai after his party tied-up with the BJP to deny Congress a shot at power in 2017. For the Goa Forward, a breakthrough has been achieved and the alliance will give it an opportunity to bargain for a similar tie-up in the Assembly elections. For the NCP, party MLA Churchill Alemao has been effectively checkmated.
Kamat's meeting with Sardesai and NCP President Jose Philip D'Souza assumes vast significance politically, but Congress appears to be a big gainer strategically. In fact, by joining forces with the NCP, Congress has managed to kill many birds with one stone. If this arrangement is to extend beyond municipal poll boundaries, the alliance would mean shutting the doors for some of the Congress defectors from the minority-dominated heartland who were planning on an escape route by contesting on an NCP ticket.
The re-alignment of Opposition forces could be a game-changer on Goa's political landscape, but there are riders to this. Despite clearance from Dinesh Rao, it remains to be seen how the party which is already down on numbers manages to contain dissension. It is also to be seen how key party leaders bury the past and reconcile with the bitter rivalry against the Goa Forward chief.
Lastly, the success of the new alignment would be uncertain on a fast-changing political canvas because three other players will simultaneously jostle for a similar space in 2022. The Aam Aadmi Party has made significant inroads into Goa, the Revolutionary Goans and the latest entrant Goencho Avaaz too have created a buzz. These three parties along with Congress, Goa Forward and NCP are eyeing a common voter base. Could the BJP have the last laugh here?
