MAPUSA
After facing the worst electoral debacle in the last Assembly elections, Congress appears to be still in a state of shock and utter despair in Bardez.
From pocketing 2 + 1 (NCP) out of six constituencies in 2007 Assembly polls, the grand old party was reduced to zero after the 2012 rout in Bardez.
But more than the score what’s appalling for the party supporters is the abject surrender by Congress in Bardez.
Senior party leaders failed to lead from the front and galvanise the cadres when the chips were down.
The party organization is in complete tatters in almost all the seven constituencies in Bardez.
One of the tallest and powerful Congress leaders in Bardez, Dayanand Narvekar was the first to desert the sinking ship, after his humiliating defeat in Aldona, and form a new outfit to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election. His miserable performance in the Lok Sabha polls and deteriorating health has pushed him out of political reckoning, at least for the moment.
Congress General Secretary and former Congress Calangute MLA Agnel Fernandes and party spokesman Yatish Naik appear to be the only two leaders from Bardez who have been somewhat vocal but apart from addressing news conferences, none have managed to hit the ground on any issues affecting the common man.
“I admit the party organisation took a beating after our terrible loss in the last election. But more than the electoral loss it’s the failure of our leadership that has reduced our state to such a level. No State leader could guide us at a time when our cadres were most vulnerable,” said a senior Congress leader from Bardez on condition of anonymity. “There was no leader in Bardez who could galvanise the party cadre,” he lamented.
In Mapusa, the role of the Congress has been reduced to a spectator with the rival BJP legislator ruling the roost for almost two decades.
The recent council election is just another pointer where the Congress in Mapusa failed to put up even a semblance of a fight. Not that Mapusa Block President, Vijay Bhike did not try but senior party leaders failed or just refused to back him.
Over the years, Congress in Mapusa faced the problem of plenty. Too many ticket aspirants cost the party dearly in the electoral battle. Later, many left the party and joined hands with the current local MLA.
Again in Tivim and Siolim, the Congress organisation is virtually non-existent.
For the last almost four terms, the Tivim seat was allotted to NCP candidate Nilkant Halarnkar. Consequently, most Congress workers are now with Halarnkar.
Sources in the party disclosed that Congress has been desperately trying to woo him back in its fold.
While Nilkant is not averse to the idea, he’s presently adopting a wait and watch game. Sources said he is also closely associated with Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai.
The truth in the statement that only a Congressman can defeat another Congressman has been playing out in Siolim for decades.
Former Congress candidate and Verla-Canca Sarpanch Milton Marques and another former Congress candidate and former Sodiem Sarpanch Francis Fernandes never saw eye to eye and took pains to destroy each others chances at the hustings.
In the last election, Fernandes quit Congress and supported local BJP MLA Dayanand Mandrekar after Congress allotted Siolim to Uday Palyekar at the last minute.
Congress General Secretary Agnel Fernandes agreed that alliance politics was one of the main reasons why Congress has been reduced to zero in Tivim.
“The party lost its base in Mapusa, Tivim and Porvorim primarily because of coalition politics. Split in Congress votes has always been a problem in Siolim,” said Fernandes.
In neigbouring Aldona, it’s no different.
For almost two decades, former Congress leader Dayanand Narvekar held sway in Aldona.
With Narvekar out, North Goa District Congress in-charge Amarnath Panjikar, Aldona Panch Freddy Pontis and Nachinola Panch Freddy Fernandes all fancy chances for the Aldona seat.
Similar story plays out in Calangute and Saligao, where the party organisation has been reduced to inactive blocks with the aspirants calling the shots.
In Calangute, former MLA Agnel Fernandes has his man, Ramkrishna Kerkar, as the president of the Calangute Congress block.
Sources disclosed that a BJP man has also been eyeing the Congress ticket in Calangute.
With former long-time sarpanch and present deputy Joseph Sequiera also in the race, the coastal constituency could see volatile politics ahead.
The Congress has not been in the spotlight in Saligao either.
In fact, the Aam Aadmi Party has managed to organise more protests meetings then the Congress in Saligao in the last one year.
Congress General Secretary Adv Yatish Naik has been outspoken in news conferences but his credentials in electoral politics are yet to be tested. Is he a ticket aspirant from Saligao?
“I am young and do not want to be a groom in a hurry,” was Adv Yatish’s diplomatic reply.
The presence of Congress is negligible in Porvorim. The Porvorim Congress block under the leadership of Prasad Faterparkar was formed a year back. In its first election, Porvorim was allotted to NCP candidate Fermina Khaunte, who lost to Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte.
After faring poorly in the last election, the Congress failed to get its act together to revamp its organization and energizing its grass root workers. The party appears to be in complete disarray in the State and Bardez is no different. Time is running out for the grand old party.
