AGNELO PEREIRA
MAPUSA
What Salcete has been for Congress in South, Bardez was for Bharatiya Janata Party in North Goa.
With one political stroke, the BJP has been reduced from being a political powerhouse to a pariah in Bardez.
The taluka hogged the limelight for the first time, after six out of seven constituencies were bagged by the BJP in the2012 assembly election.
Then Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, had promptly rewarded the achievement by inducting three ministers from Bardez.
The then three ministers “ Urban Development Minister Francisco D’Souza (Mapusa), Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar (Saligao) and WRD Minister Dayanand Mandrekar (Siolim) “ were veritably the torchbearers for the party in the taluka.
D’Souza was later even elevated to Deputy Chief Minister.
In 2017, however, the equation changed with Bardez re-electing only three BJP legislators “ Francis D’Souza (Mapusa), Michael Lobo (Calangute) and Glen Ticlo (Aldona) “ and facing a drubbing in several constituencies.
But with Francis D’Souza retaining his position as the Urban Development Minister in the coalition government, the Mapusa MLA had salvaged some pride for the BJP in the taluka.
The taluka still has three ministers but two of them belong to coalition partner Goa Forward Party “ WRD Minister Vinoda Paliencar (Siolim) and Housing Minister Jayesh Salgaonkar (Saligao) and one Independent “ Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte (Porvorim).
“In Bardez, Francis D’Souza was the only minister the BJP karyakatas could easily get an access to. With the sacking of D’Souza there is a vacuum for BJP in Mapusa and Bardez. Now, who will the karyakatas approach,” asked a senior councillor of Mapusa.
There were expectations that Mapusa’s loss would be offset by promoting one of the BJP legislators from the neighbouring Calangute constituency.
But that has also not happened plunging the entire taluka into a political abyss for the saffron party.
“With no BJP representation in the cabinet from Bardez, it will definitely reflect on the party’s future prospects in the taluka,” said Surendra Sirsat, former three-time MLA from Mapusa while analyzing the political situation.
The former MLA also said that Mapusa MLA’s dishonourable exit from the cabinet will also not go down well with a section of the constituents.
“To ask someone to resign honourably is one thing. But the comment the Mapusa MLA has made clearly implies that he’s not resigned, but has been dropped,” Sirsat said.
He said dropping of D’Souza will definitely impact BJP, as he has been helpful to a cross-section of the people in Bardez and the State too.
Senior executive members of the BJP ran shy from speaking on the sacking of the Mapusa MLA.
“No comments,” was Sadanand Tanavde’s terse reply, when asked to comment on the impact the decision will have for the party in Bardez.
