PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre faced a significant setback at the Centre, losing its status as the single largest party after a decade. In Goa, the situation mirrors this decline. Despite retaining the North Goa seat, BJP’s overall vote share has seen a drop, albeit marginally.
On the other hand, Congress -- contesting under the INDI Alliance this time -- has managed to retain a stronghold on the electorate although its vote share also dropped to around 40 percent compared to previous polls.
A surprising development was the rise of the Revolutionary Goans wherein Tukaram (Manoj) Parab polled 45,744 votes and Rubert Pereira polled 18,679 votes in North and South Goa respectively, and both ranking third in the overall count. Collectively, this regional party got over 7 percent of the vote share. The result is significant as it indicates RG is cutting into the votes of both the BJP and Congress and possibly becoming a crucial factor in future elections.
With the debate now surrounding the drop in vote share, a slight dip from 51.19 percent in 2019 and a more noticeable decline from 54.1 percent in 2014 which is when the party won with a substantial margin has become a cause of concern for the BJP.
“BJP crossed the 50 percent vote share and also took a lead in 29 out of 40 assembly constituencies. The numbers in 2-3 constituencies in Salcete didn’t favour us but we still achieved the overall mark; for example lead in Canacona by 7,000 votes,” spokesperson Giriraj Pai Vernekar said, speaking to The Goan.
Marcaim and Sanvordem also proved a saviour for the BJP where it led by 10728 and 9511 votes respectively.
The Congress, on the other hand, showed historical gains since 2009 only to further plummet this time. In 2019, it secured 42.92 percent of the electorate, up from 37 percent in 2014 and 22 percent in 2009.
However, in the current election, the vote share of the INDI Alliance -- of which Congress is a major party -- dropped to around 40 percent.
Understanding these shifts is crucial for future electoral strategies and evolving voter preferences. The BJP had set an ambitious target to attract 61 percent of the vote share in upcoming elections, only to face this result.
The 2014 elections marked a significant victory for the BJP as it won both the seats -- North -- Shripad Naik and South -- Narendra Sawaikar with a comfortable margin. The national party had contested the elections in alliance with MGP.
