PANAJI
Curchorem constituency is abuzz with the talk about the return of former MLA Shyam Satardekar in the fray, albeit on the platform of Goa Suraksha Manch, and the political soothsayers from the Southern town predict that Satardekar will clash swords with sitting MLA and BJP candidate Nilesh Cabral in the ensuing poll.
But, the local UFO-sightseers from Curchorem believe that the beneficiary of the political rivalry between GSM and BJP could eventually benefit the Congress.
Proprietor of a grocery shop near the Curchorem-Sanvordem railway station was of the opinion that the margin of victory will be reduced considerably but that Cabral continues to be the stronger of the four contenders.
“The voter turnout is quite high in Curchorem and in 2012, there was a straight fight between sitting Congress MLA Satardekar and Cabral. BJP had secured a little over 14,000 votes that is around 72 per cent of the votes. The margin of victory was around 8,800. This time, with the entry of GSM and Aam Aadmi Party, the picture could change slightly,” he offered.
The electorate in Curchorem is presently hovering over 26,000 mark with around 6,000 Christians and around 2,000 Muslims forming a prominent chunk which is likely to be divided between the Congress and AAP.
The constituency comprises Curchorem-Cacora Municipal Council and two panchayat areas of Assolda and Xeldem. While Cabral appears to have the upper hand over the municipality, new entrants including Rosario Fernandes of Congress and James Fernandes of AAP have made inroads in several pockets of the two panchayats.
Locals from Assolda and Xeldem, especially the dominant Christian community from these villages, seemed to be weighing their options with two weeks to go till the election.
“AAP’s James has a good hold over Xeldem and that party is campaigning really hard. But most of their workers seem to be from outside Goa and don’t know much about Curchorem. On the other hand, the ZP member Rosario has a lot of supporters in Assolda. But these two don’t have much of a standing in the town,” a resident of Assolda argued while cleaning his car.
A gathering of five-six men near the four-roads at the heart of Xeldem declared in unison that none of the candidates are worth their votes. “Every party has given a ticket to the same old faces. We have been wondering whether any of them even deserve our votes,” said one of them.
A bar owner from Xeldem said that Cabral has brought about a lot of development over the last five years. “It is not Cabral but the BJP which is at the root of my frustration. There has been development but life as such has not changed much. But issues like demonetisation have made my business and my life miserable. I’d rather vote for AAP and have some mental peace,” he confided.
A bunch of Cudchadkars at the local market were debating among themselves over who stands a better chance, Cabral or Satardekar and the mention of GSM supremo Subhash Velingkar and the Bharatiya Bhasha Surkasha Manch piqued their interest.
While some floated theories about Satardekar’s jump from Congress to GSM, one elderly gentleman from Curhorem touched the aorta and said, “My generation has studied in Marathi. It worked back then. But nowadays, can we force our children to give up English at primary level? They will be lost when they go ahead in their life. GSM rhetoric needs to be a little flexible and suited to present times.”
A newspaper stall owner from Curchorem pointed out that while votes in Curchorem are decided over intellectual calculations, Cacora will vote over issues; the two of the recent ones being proposed mega projects of a solid waste treatment facility and the other, a coal handling unit.
“A solid waste management plant was proposed to be set up at Cacora. It was to cater to Sanguem, Quepem, Canacona and Curchorem constituencies. People want a constituency based catering unit. We didn’t want garbage from other areas to be brought here to pollute our land,” he announced adding that Cacora could vote against Cabral over this matter despite the BJP MLA repeating his support to the people’s demands and his opposition to the waste treatment facility on numerous occasions.
