AAP has managed to establish an excellent connect with the aam aadmi in Goa, but whether the pre-poll promises will fetch them the votes they need to win seats is to be seen
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers have fanned across the State making steady progress in reaching out to the common man. The party's concept of Goa Dialogues has also gone down well with citizens who feel empowered and included in the decision making process. However, the party is yet to zero down on candidates even as Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain has announced that the list will be out in the next 10 days.
Backed by their overwhelming success in Delhi, AAP has managed to establish an excellent connect with the aam aadmi in Goa, but whether the pre-poll promises will fetch them the votes they need to win seats is to be seen. In Zuarinagar-Vasco, Satyendra went on to woo the slum dwellers with a slum policy ensuring rehabilitation and proper housing with all required amenities. In Taleigao and Old Goa, AAP promised 400 'mohalla' clinics and 40 polyclinics while also offering solutions elsewhere on garbage, medium of instruction, street lighting, education, healthcare etc. AAP has on its platter solutions to almost all issues in Goa. The question here is “ is it trying to bite more than it can chew?
In Bardez, a dedicated band of workers has been making inroads where presence of AAP was unheard of till now. The taluka is turning out to be a surprise package for the party which has been making steady progress in places like Calangute, Aldona and Saligao, while also focusing on Porvorim and Thivim, where the response is not encouraging.
In Salcete, the party's leadership has been addressing concerns among party volunteers and sympathizers, especially among women. Ground workers are seized of the alleged Delhi rape case involving MLA Sandeep Kumar and accusations that party tickets in Punjab are given to women allegedly in return for sexual favours. These allegations may not have a direct impact on Goa, given the fact that Goans have their own set of issues, but they certainly dent the holier-than-thou approach of AAP.
While frontline parties like BJP and Congress are just off the starting blocks, AAP, which had flagged off its campaign much earlier, has shown a lot of intensity and sense of purpose. But key names are yet to come out of the AAP bag. A case in point would be Colva ZP member Nelly Rodrigues. Nelly has been hobnobbing with the Goa Vikas Party since the 2012 assembly elections, but is now seen cozying up to AAP. However, she is yet to come out in the open and announce her intentions to join the party.
The going has been good for AAP so far. The response has not only shaken the Congress, but has sent shivers down the spine of the ruling BJP. However, if AAP has to make an impact, the party needs big names in its line-up. Names with clean images and overwhelming support of locals.
