MARGAO
With as many as eight crucial Assembly seats at stake in the minority heartland, will the BJP travel that extra mile to woo the minorities via-a-vis Mission Salcete, initiated by former Chief Minister, late Manohar Parrikar a decade ago?
Current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has ruled out any special mission in Salcete, but the BJP juggernaut appears set to roll in at least four of the eight seats at stake in the taluka. “There won’t be any mission Salcete in the coming polls, but the BJP has set a target to ensure Lotus blooms in at least three constituencies in Salcete in the forthcoming Assembly polls”, the Chief Minister informed ‘The Goan’ during his visit to Margao on Thursday.
Indeed, it is clear that the BJP isn’t going to concede Salcete without a fight to the Congress and like-minded parties in 2022 electoral battle. The saffron brigade’s strategy appears simple “ go all out to win a couple of seats on the party’s Lotus symbol and support independents and other candidates in a bid to storm the Congress bastion.
Late Manohar Parrikar had executed a similar strategy with perfection a decade ago when the BJP’s juggernaut carrying the former Chief Minister and late Matanhy Saldanha in tow had rolled into Salcete in the run up to the 2012 polls. The strategy had met with a huge success against the backdrop of a strong anti-Congress wave across the state. The BJP had scripted history in 2012 by winning Cuncolim for the first time. And, the momentum built by the BJP in the run up to the polls was enough to create enough anti-Congress sentiments in the minority stronghold, decimating the party to its worst electoral defeat, after the party could retain only two seats of Margao and Curtorim, while losing the remaining six seats of Velim, Nuvem, Benaulim, Navelim, Fatorda to the opposition parties and Independents.
Much water has flown down the river Sal in the last 10 years. In fact, the Congress and like-minded parties had managed to make a strong comeback five years later in 2017, making a clean sweep in Salcete, winning all the eight seats at stake “ Congress (six), with one seat each going to the NCP and Goa Forward.
Unlike 2012, political observers say an anti-Congress sentiment isn’t prevailing in the taluka this time round. Against this backdrop, a clear task lies ahead for the saffron brigade to work out a different strategy for Salcete, aware that a 2017 performance by the Congress and like-minded parties may propel the opposition close to attaining the magic figure of 21 seats.
The Chief Minister was clear in saying the party will win three out of the eight seats at stake in Salcete. He did not name the three seats, but considering the fact that the party has been systematically going about in Cuncolim and Fatorda, indicates that the ruling party isn’t going to leave Salcete without a fight. The party may even test the electoral waters in Navelim with a host of players vying for the traditional Congress vote.
Political observers say the ruling party must be also anxiously waiting for the political developments to unfold in Salcete, hoping for a split in the traditional Congress vote, more so with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) working on plan to open its account in the coming polls and the entry of new players including the Trinamool Congress TMC) in the state’s political arena.
HOW SALCETE MATTERS IN
FORMATION OF THE GOVT
In 2012, the Congress was virtually decimated in Salcete. Out of the eight seats at stake, the Congress could retain just two seats. The Goa Vikas party won two seats of Benaulim and Nuvem. Independents made it big in Velim, Navelim and Fatorda and the BJP opening its account in Cuncolim.
The result was all there to see. For the first time in recent years, the Congress tally in the Legislative Assembly could not touch the double digit figure, with the party winning just nine out of the 40 seats.
The 2012 election had a clear message to the BJP “ if you cannot win in Salcete, at least reduce the tally of the Congress in the taluka.
Salcete holds the key to
seat of power for Cong
The situation for the Congress was exactly the opposite in 2017. The Congress and like-minded parties made a clean sweep in Salcete winning all the eight seats at stake, with BJP drawing a blank. With six seats from Salcete in its kitty, the remaining two seats going to the NCP and Goa Forward, the Congress came close to forming the government with a final tally of 17 seats. It’s another matter that the Congress could not eventually form the government, but the 2017 election message was loud and clear for the Congress -- perform well in Salcete to keep the party in good stead for government formation.
