GFP chief's remarks stir debate over Joshua’s 2027 prospects
MAPUSA
With barely eighteen months to go for the 2027 Assembly elections, Goa’s political temperature is already rising – unsurprising in a State where alliances shift quickly and political signalling begins long before official campaigning does.
The latest flashpoint has emerged from Mapusa, where Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai has reopened an old political chapter even as new electoral contests loom.
Sardesai, attempting to consolidate a united anti-BJP front and revive GFP’s relevance, has alleged that he was the key architect behind Joshua D’Souza receiving the BJP ticket for the 2019 Mapusa by-election following the demise of Francis D’Souza.
According to him, the BJP’s local leadership, including the then chief minister and its core committee, were reluctant to field Joshua, and he – then a minister in the coalition government – had to intervene, even appealing to the then Union Home Minister to ensure the young leader’s candidature.
The claim is politically loaded. By asserting that he once ensured Joshua’s political ascent, Sardesai seeks to signal two things: His own former influence in the BJP-led coalition and a weakening of Joshua’s standing within the BJP today, a narrative that could unsettle Mapusa’s internal political dynamics.
Sardesai’s barbs did not stop at the past. He dismissed Joshua’s recent comment on a possible cabinet reshuffle as being “above his pay grade”, asserting that such prerogatives lie solely with the Chief Minister.
He said that Joshua may have been directed by “someone” in the BJP to float the reshuffle talk – a clear attempt to force “outside elements” in the cabinet and the party so that they are forced to work hard for the ZP polls.
He went further, predicting that the BJP would likely deny Joshua a ticket in 2027, citing what he described as the MLA’s lack of legislative engagement and diminishing visibility in Mapusa.
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza’s reaction was a mix of acknowledgment and restraint – politically savvy for someone navigating potential internal scrutiny.
He admitted that Sardesai did campaign and support him during the 2019 by-election, but tactfully avoided confirming whether Sardesai played a decisive role in securing him the ticket.
On the GFP chief’s prediction regarding denial of ticket to him in 2027, Joshua distanced himself, stressing that only the party leadership can take such a call and that he does not read political motives into Sardesai’s comments.
Joshua also clarified that his remark on the cabinet reshuffle was merely a response to a journalist’s question, subtly pushing back against the suggestion that he was being used as a conduit for political messaging within the BJP.
For now, the BJP leadership prefers silence.
BJP State President Damu Naik declined to comment, indicating the party’s intent to avoid giving the issue further oxygen – especially with the ZP elections around the corner, where internal unity is crucial.
What has unfolded in Mapusa this week is likely just the first of many political skirmishes – and in Goa’s ever-fluid political landscape, such exchanges often sow seeds for future confrontations.
