PANAJI
As many as 37 of the 43 politicians who were elected in 2017and in subsequent by-polls during the term of the outgoing Goa legislativeassembly have thrown their hat in the ring to win another five-year innings aslawmakers in the February 14 general election.
Two politicians -- former chief minister Manohar Parrikarand former deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza -- have since passed away andthree others have bowed out -- Pratapsing Rane, Luizinho Faleiro and PandurangMadkaikar.
The sixth, Siddharth Kuncolienkar, has got elbowed out ofcontention in the highly competitive field for the BJP ticket in Panaji betweensitting MLA, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate and the late Parrikar's son Utpal.
No prizes for guessing this one: An overwhelming majority ofthe 37 fighting for another inning as MLAs (more than 70 per cent) have done achameleon act and have presented themselves to the electorates in a differentpolitical avtaar from what they did in 2017.
One of them, former Deputy Chief Minister Manohar (Babu)Ajgaonkar has not only changed his political party from MGP to BJP, he has evenchanged his constituency from the reserved Pernem seat in North Goa to Margaoin South Goa.
The Goa legislative assembly may have a maximum strength of40, but peculiar circumstances have earned it the unique distinction of havingon its roster as many 43 politicians at different points in time in its 5-yearlife.
The late Manohar Parrikar, who quit as Union DefenceMinister to become chief minister, was the 41st politician elected in aby-election after Siddharth Kuncolienkar vacated the Panaji seat for him.
Mapusa MLA Joshua D'Souza and current Panaji MLA Atanasio(Babush) Monserrate, were politician numbers 42 and 43 to get entry into theHouse when they won the 2019 by-elections following the deaths in quicksuccession of Francis D'Sozua and Parrikar.
Only three politicians from these 43, have thrown in thetowel and bowed out of the electoral fray -- Pratapsingh Raoji Rane, LuizinhoFaleiro and Pandurang Madkaikar. Two more -- Parrikar and D'Souza -- have sincepassed away and the sixth, Kuncolienkar, got elbowed out of contention.
Meanwhile, of the 37 politicians seeking a consecutive seatin the House at the February 14 elections, as many as 27 (nearly 73 per-cent)are contesting on the symbol of the party different from the one they had wonthe 2017 election on.
Of the 17 Congress MLAs who had won five years ago -- Leaderof Opposition Digambar Kamat -- is the lone politician contesting again on thesame party ticket from his traditional Margao seat.
On the other side of the political fence, in the case of theBJP, only seven of the 13 who won in 2017 are contesting again on the lotussymbol -- Pramod Sawant, Nilesh Cabral, Milind Naik, Mauvin Godinho, RajeshPatnekar and Glenn Ticlo Souza.
From the MGP stable of three 2017 victors, its SupremoRamkrishna (Sudin) Dhavlikar, is the lone politician to be seeking re-electionnow on the lion symbol. The other two -- Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pauskar -- arecontesting on the lotus symbol and as an Independent respectively.
For the Goa Forward Party (GFP) its supremo, Vijai Sardesai,is the sole torch-bearer from its three 2017 victors for the one-and-a-halfcoconut symbol on February 14.
The two Independent victors of 2017 -- Rohan Khaunte andPrasad Gaonkar -- too have done the chameleon act shifting political sides intheir bid to gain a seat again in the House. Khaunte is now contesting on theBJP ticket and Gaonkar on the Congress ticket.
History, by the way, is not on the side of these politicos.For seven consecutive elections since 1989, almost half of the legislators ofeach of the seven Houses were shown the door by the voter.
Will these 37 politicians change that history or not is fornow locked in excruciating suspense and the key to unravel it is firmly in thehands of Goa's 11-odd lakh strong electorate. March 10 will have all 37answers.
