AGNELO PEREIRA
MAPUSA
With the two candidates of national parties enjoying equal support among the electorate, Mapusa appears to be heading for a photo-finish.
In the hustle and bustle of the election campaign, so far, Congress candidate, Sudhir Kandolkar has won the perception battle in Mapusa.
But winning the poll war is a different ball game.
Being young, BJP candidate Joshua D’Souza can bring that raw energy on the table, but with more than 20 years in the council and close aide of former Mapusa MLA Suhdir Kandolkar of Congress has experience to bank on.
A strong organization is BJP’s forte much to the detriment of the opposition Congress which draws a blank on this count.
“We will vote for Joshua because he is young and will be able to bring in fresh ideas,” a well-heeled couple of Angod, Mapusa, opined.
The saffron party is also far ahead in strategizing and with a crafty organization secretary Satish Dhond at the helm and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as the party observer for Mapusa, Congress will have its hands full.
For the moment, Congress is moving with the tide and expects the voters to do the trick for them on the D-day.
If crowd following is the yardstick to measure a candidate’s popularity, than Kandolkar easily beats D’Souza in the contest.
“For the last 30 years, I have not voted in an election. But this time I will vote for Sudhir Kandolkar because he has touched me. When my brother passed away, around two months back, I requested Sudhir to take care of the preparations at the
crematorium. In absence of the caretaker, Sudhir personally sorted the wood along with a labourer in the crematorium,” said a resident of Khorlim, Mapusa.
Most of the ruling councillors have been openly canvassing with the BJP candidate during the campaign but at least half a dozen of them are sympathetic to Kandolkar which could give the saffron party the nightmares.
Kandolkar’s entry into Congress has managed to galvanize almost all former Congressmen.
Most ex-councillors have also gravitated towards Kandolkar giving Congress an edge.
Incidentally, MGP, some former Goa Forward Party leaders and citizens’ groups who have openly backed Kandolkar have also given momentum to the Congress campaign.
According to retired teacher and keen political observer, Ratnapal Salkar, it will be a tough fight between the Congress and the BJP.
“Any one of the two candidates from the national parties could win with a narrow margin,” Salkar said.
A section of the BJP mandal who are upset with the candidate selection and at least one BJP MLA have been actively working behind the scenes in favour of Kandolkar.
If Bhandaris, which accounts for a big chunk of votes, consolidate in Kandolkar’s favour and the minorities vote en masse for Congress, then BJP may be staring down the barrel in Mapusa.
The sympathy for Babush’s son may just be a misnomer as the sympathy factor, if at tall there is one, cannot be felt on ground zero.
“Mapusa has always been a BJP seat but the same cannot be said today. It will be a neck and neck fight. If the ticket was given to Sudhir Kandolkar then it would have been a cakewalk for BJP. As of today, I will give 60 percent to Sudhir and 40 percent to Joshua,” a staunch BJP supporter sums up the mood.
All the same with government machinery and the resources at hand, BJP could still swing the tide in its favour.
In a see-saw battle for the by-election, migrants and silent voters could hold the key but for the first time there is more than good chance for Congress to make history in Mapusa.
Shekar Naik of the Aam Aadmi Party Nandan Sawant (GSM), Sanjay Barde (NCP), Ashish Shirodkar (Ind) and Sudesh Hasotikar (Ind) are also in the fray but could at best damage the prospects of one of the two top contenders.
