BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo going about her campaign for the South Goa seat.
MARGAO
As the two key players battling for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, BJP’s Pallavi Dempo and Congress’ Captain Viriato Fernandes brace up to file their nominations for the May 7 poll, the duo has completed round one of their campaign in contrasting fashion.
A political novice, but hailing from an industrialist family, the BJP candidate has been to a great extent banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma and his achievements during the last one decade, to convey a subtle message to party rank and file, besides the voters that the coming election is an election to return Modi to rule the country for yet another term.
Congress nominee, Captain Viriato Fernandes, on the other hand, seemed banking on the issues plaguing Goa and Goans. With social activism as his forte, Captain Viriato is harping on the burning issues facing the people of Goa as he went about his campaign across the constituency with a plea to the people to join him in the ongoing battle between people’s power and money power. A report.
BJP’s Pallavi Dempo: Attribute it to a political strategy or plan to put issues such as Portuguese rule over Goa and the destruction of temples on the backburner, one has not come across BJP leaders raking up these emotive and polarizing issues during round one of the campaign for the South Goa seat, which plays host to a large presence of the minorities. It’s too early to say whether these issues will come in handy for the ruling party leaders to polarize the voters at the later part of the campaign.
What, however, has been an open secret is that the BJP virtually launched its candidate from the temples dotting South Goa ever since she first stepped in the constituency from Mormugao taluka over a fortnight ago. With party rank and file speaking in hushed tones that a candidate has been imposed from above, political observers say that Pallavi’s temple run in South Goa appears part of a plan to connect her to the voters and dispel any notions that she is an outsider to the party. That Pallavi received warm welcome from women at the temples further suggests a deliberate move to push her candidature with women support, more so when the Prime Minister is credited for fielding a women candidate for South Goa.
A close scrutiny of Pallavi’s round one of election campaign has suggested that she has avoided raising up issues plaguing the people and the constituency. Instead, she has not lost a single opportunity to highlight Prime Minister’s achievements in the last one decade and his vision focusing on women, youth and the poor. Pallavi’s repeated assurances to the people of South Goa that she will open an office in Margao is seen as an attempt by the candidate to address fears raised in certain quarters over her accessibility after the election.
With a host of unanswered questions raised by the party rank and file over Pallavi’s candidature, Party leaders including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, party Chief Sadanand Tanavade, besides Margao MLA Digambar Kamat too devote more time and focus on Prime Minster Modi and his achievements, including the infrastructure projects ushered by the Centre in Goa. Political observers say Modi’s name also come in handy for the local leaders to deflect from the core issue of “importing” a women from outside South Goa when there’s no dearth of equally capable women candidates in the constituency.
Congress’ Captain Viriato Fernandes: In sharp contrast, Congress candidate has straightaway hit the campaign with a focus on the burning issues plaguing Goa and the people of Goa. Baptized in the social activism movement around half a decade ago after his retirement as Captain of the Indian Navy, Viriato has hopped from Assembly segments with a game plan to expose the BJP’s sins of omissions and commissions over the last 10 years.
His naval background seemed to have gelled well with a cross section of voters, cutting across religious and caste lines. And, Viriato has not stopped flaunting his Naval background, more particularly his role in the Kargil war with Pakistan and his call of duty during the war.
Moving around the constituency with young party leaders including Congress president Amit Patkar, opposition leader Yuri Alemao, party South Goa district Coordinator MLA Alton D’Costa and district president Savio D’Silva, Capt Viriato has not lost a single opportunity to explain how the May 7 battle is not just an ordinary election, but a last chance to save what is left of Goa.
After traversing across Salcete and Mormugao talukas, considered the Congress strongholds over the years, the Captain descended in the hinterland talukas of Ponda on Sunday for a surgical strike. Along the way, he has reminded the people how the three linear projects threaten to convert Goa into a coal hub, Mormugao Port Authority’s plan to extend its jurisdiction right up to Betul, bleak future facing the Dabolim airport, et al
Captain Viriato as well as the Congress leadership seemed going on a deliberate plan to convey to the masses that the party candidate is not just a voice of the people, but will be the voice in Parliament for the next five years.
With the election phase entering the crucial phase of filing of nomination papers, Captain Viriato is bracing up for a surgical strike with Congress leaders in tow and the backing of the INDIA Alliance comprising of the Aam Aadmi Party, Goa Forward Party, Nationalist Congress party, TMC and the Shiv Sena.
