MARGAO
With multiple candidates left in the fray after the last day of nominations, the Congress may soon realise that the battle to regain lost ground in the nine Salcete Zilla Panchayat seats and regain control of the South Goa Zilla Panchayat seat is not so much against the BJP as it is against other non-BJP parties and a host of Independents.
These include the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), and the Sharad Pawar“led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as well as several Independent candidates. Among the Independents are former South Goa ZP chairpersons Nelly Rodrigues (Colva) and Maria Rebello (Benaulim), the Raia-based Dominic Gaonkar family, and Goan Seamen Association of India President Frank Viegas (Velim), among others.
While the Congress and its alliance partner, the Goa Forward Party, will have to grapple with the AAP’s presence in eight of the nine seats in Salcete, they must also contend with the RGP factor in four seats and the NCP in three. Notably, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting only three of the nine Salcete seats ”Davorlim, Guirdolim, and Navelim ” the first two being constituencies where the Lotus had bloomed in the 2020 ZP polls.
The message for the Congress is unmistakable: if it hopes to reclaim lost ground from the previous Assembly and Zilla Panchayat elections and make a strong comeback in this minority-dominated taluka, it must overcome the challenge posed by non-BJP parties and Independents competing for the same voter base.
Political observers note that the Congress leadership faces a daunting task”how to consolidate the Salcete vote in its favour and persuade an electorate that had voted overwhelmingly for the party in last year’s 2024 Lok Sabha polls, that only the Congress can stop the BJP’s long innings at the South Goa Zilla Panchayat.
Adding to the dynamics, AAP’s Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas has already sounded the poll bugle in Salcete, declaring that the upcoming Zilla Panchayat contest is essentially “AAP versus BJP”. Political analysts say this narrative is aimed at drawing the traditional anti-BJP vote away from the Congress and towards the Arvind Kejriwal“led AAP.
Congress surge in Salcete in the 2024 LS polls
The Congress witnessed a strong resurgence in its traditional bastion of Salcete during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when voters rallied behind Captain Viriato Fernandes to defeat the BJP. But that was over a year and a half ago, at a time when the parliamentary contest had crystallised into a straight fight between the Congress and the BJP. Much water has flowed down the River Sal since then.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which was part of the INDI Alliance in 2024, has now decided to go solo in Goa. The Revolutionary Goans Party, which had contested against the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has returned to the battlefield once again after alliance talks failed. The same holds true for the Nationalist Congress Party.
The challenge before the Congress leadership is straightforward yet formidable: how to retain the vote share the party secured in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in order to keep the BJP, other non-BJP parties, and a growing band of Independent candidates at bay, and thereby pave the way for a Congress comeback in the South Goa Zilla Panchayat.
Congress insiders privately acknowledge that the task is far from easy. The Aam Aadmi Party has slowly but steadily built a base in several Zilla Panchayat constituencies. Adding to the complexity are the Independents who have entered the fray after their bids for Congress tickets fell through.
Salcete holds the key for Congress’ return to power
The presence of multiple candidates in the fray is deeply worrying for the Congress, for the simple reason that the party cannot afford to lose any of the nine Salcete seats if it hopes to return to power in the South Goa ZP.
No one understands this better than the Congress leadership itself. Without securing a majority of seats from Salcete, a Congress comeback at the South Goa ZP remains out of reach. For, the ruling BJP and its coalition partner MGP, are expected to go all out to win majority seats in the hinterland talukas of South Goa.
Party insiders admit that the Congress can come within striking distance only if it delivers an exceptional performance in this crucial taluka.
Against this backdrop, all eyes are now on the Congress leadership and how it plans to steer its campaign in Salcete ” especially in relation to the non-BJP parties and Independents who are vying for the same political space.
