Final week sees BJP, Congress, AAP, RGP and GFP locked in tight contests
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is leading from the front for the BJP to retain the two seats of Guirdolim and Davorlim in Salcete as part of the party scheme of things.
MARGAO
With exactly a week to go before polling for the December 20 Zilla Panchayat elections, the political temperature in Salcete has risen sharply. Nine seats are up for grabs, and the contest has thrown up several critical questions for candidates and political parties alike.
Will the Congress reclaim its traditional stronghold of Salcete by capitalising on its surge in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and secure a majority to form the South Goa Zilla Panchayat? Or will the BJP manage to retain the two seats it won in Guirdolim and Davorlim in the 2020 ZP polls?
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces its own set of challenges: Can it retain Benaulim and expand its footprint by winning seats in Colva, Nuvem and Velim? Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) will be keen to replicate its impressive 2022 Assembly election performance in Salcete, where it is contesting four seats.
Another key question is whether the Goa Forward Party (GFP) can succeed in expanding its base in Salcete by winning the Raia ZP seat, allotted to it under its alliance pact with the Congress.
BJP going all out to retain Davorlim and Guirdolim
The ruling BJP seemed leaving no stone unturned to retain the two seats of Davorlim and Guirdolim, which the party won in the 2020 Zilla Panchayat election. This was evident by the fact that none other than Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has personally kicked off party campaign to retain Davorlim and Guirdolim in the coming poll.
The ruling dispensation seemed fully geared up for a no-holds-barred battle in both Guirdolim and Davorlim. Since both Guirdolim and Davorlim have significant population of the minorities, none other than the BJP leadership knows for sure that a consolidation of the minority vote will spell doom for the party’s agenda to retain the two seats.
In the 2020 ZP poll, the Lotus had bloomed in both Guirdolim and Davorlim due to a split in the non-BJP vote. This explains why Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tried to reach out and woo the minorities during his campaign for the Davorlim seat.
Can Cong build on 2024 LS surge to make a comeback?
Of the nine seats in Salcete – long considered a Congress bastion – the party is contesting eight, having ceded Raia to alliance partner Goa Forward Party. In the 2020 ZP poll, the Congress managed to win only three seats: Velim, Curtorim and Nuvem.
Buoyed by its improved performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress leadership is hopeful of significantly increasing its tally this time. However, the task is far from easy. The party must ensure that the non-BJP vote is effectively consolidated behind its candidates, who face stiff competition from AAP, RGP and several Independents.
While aiming to retain Velim, Nuvem and Curtorim, the Congress is also striving to regain lost ground in Guirdolim, Navelim and Davorlim.
Will AAP increase its tally of seats?
The Aam Aadmi Party had created history in Goa by opening its electoral account from Benaulim in the 2020 Zilla Panchayat polls. Since then, there’s been no turning back for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, with AAP winning the two seats of Benaulim and Velim in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Certainly, AAP leadership is expected to go all out to retain the Benaulim seat, where its sitting ZP member Joseph Pimenta is locked in a multi-cornered battle and also try and win the seats of Colva, Nuvem and Velim. The party has received a big boost in its campaign with Arvind Kejriwal personally descending on the battleground to drum up support for the party candidates.
Can Goa Forward deliver Raia to Cong-GFP alliance?
All eyes are on the Goa Forward Party, which is attempting to expand its base in Salcete for the first time. Under the Congress-GFP alliance, the regional party has been allotted the Raia seat, encompassing the villages of Raia, Rachol, Camurlim and Loutolim – areas currently part of the Curtorim and Nuvem Assembly segments.
The GFP candidate faces a six-cornered contest, including the influential Dominic Gauncar family, which has represented Raia for the past two decades. The party must also contend with strong challenges from AAP and the RGP if it hopes to open its account in the South Goa Zilla Panchayat from Salcete.
RGP and NCP
The RGP and the NCP have fielded four and three candidates respectively for the coming ZP polls in Salcete. The NCP had won the Colva seat in the 2020 ZP poll when former Minister Churchill Alemao was a member of the party. Similarly, the RGP had made an impressive political debut in Salcete in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Independents in the spotlight
A handful of Independents are also drawing considerable attention in key constituencies. Among them are former South Goa Zilla Panchayat chairpersons Nelly Rodrigues (Colva) and Maria Rebello (Benaulim), along with Frank Viegas (Velim).
While Nelly Rodrigues is a four-time ZP member from Colva, Maria Rebello has represented Benaulim three times. Frank Viegas is the current sarpanch of Chinchinim village and president of the Goan Seamen Association of India, making him a formidable contender in Velim.
