PANAJI
Politicians in Goa seized the opportunity during the ongoing festive Ganesh Chaturthi season to rise above partisan political divides and hop to each others homes and exchange greetings.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was the first to have dignitaries of multiple political hues visiting him to greet and pay respect to the deity at his Sanquelim home, including the Congress legislators Michael Lobo and Kedar Naik, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas with family, former MLAs Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Glen Ticlo Souza, among several others.
Sawant on his part also went around hopping to homes of his cabinet colleagues after the first visarjan day. Sawant also went around the State taking darshan of Ganesha idols at various community ‘Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals’.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the most widely celebrated festival of the Hindu community in Goa and the nearly three-week period is usually a time utilised by many to mend fissures among communities. Politicians too cut across party lines to visit homes of political adversaries to strengthen bonds of personal camaraderie.
It was for the first time in three years this year that such festive mingling and home visits were possible unhindered during Ganesh Chaturthi after the havoc played by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Opposition Leader Michael Lobo was one such politician who went about visiting homes of politicians without any regard for political affiliations.
BJP State president, Sadanand Shet Tanavade was among the politicians who’s home Lobo visited to exchange greetings.
In several localities, members of the minority Catholic and Muslim Community also went around visiting Hindu homes in their neighbourhood.
