MARGAO
There’s total silence on the Davondem bandh at Fatorda, the home of Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai, which also doubles up as the headquarters of the regional party, a key partner of the BJP-led coalition government.
Five years ago, Davondem had played host to a flurry of political activity as the campaign of then Congress candidate Reginaldo Lourenco in the 2014 Lok Sabha election was run from the bandh by Sardesai. But, with just 10 days to go for the April 23 poll for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, one hasn’t come across any political activity on the bandh till date.
City fathers owing allegiance to the GFP, which controls the Margao Municipal Council too, have no clue how they will go about in the ensuing election. The 11-member group of councillors led by Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and her deputy Tito Cardozo have no idea whether they will at all take a plunge into the campaign of any of the contesting candidates.
The councillors and party workers are apparently waiting for the party chief diktat before they take a call and gear up for the battle of the ballot.
However, the GFP chief, who returned home late Thursday after a week-long detox course at a Bambolim-based starred resort, has still not had any meeting with his supporters so far, sending indications to the party rank and file that the regional party may stay away from the ensuing battle between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress to outwit each other to take a major slice of the vote share.
Though the Sardesai had accompanied BJP candidate Narendra Sawaikar to the office of the Returning Officer, he has stayed away from the ongoing campaign in Fatorda by the two national parties. If Thursday saw Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha descending on Fatorda to drum up support for his candidature, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant came rushing to the constituency on Friday evening to guide the party rank and file ahead of the April 23 polling.
Sardesai had been on record saying that though he is BJP’s coalition partner and occupies key position in the government given his status as the Deputy Chief Minister, the BJP may not require his help and assistance to introduce the Lotus symbol in Fatorda given the party’s network in the constituency. While many say the Deputy Chief Minister will not descend on Fatorda’s battle ground to campaign for the candidate of the alliance partner, sources do not rule out the possibility of the major coalition partner roping in the Goa Forward chief to share the dais with the party candidate at the public meeting scheduled next week.
Sardesai’s opponents say the GFP chief finds himself in a piquant situation for the simple reason that both the BJP and the Congress constitute his main rivals in Fatorda. Sources said Sardesai cannot afford to tell his supporters to vote for either of the main candidates when he may sooner rather than later will have to take on the two parties in the coming Assembly election.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar had got the better of the Congress candidate Reginaldo Lourenco when he led over his rival by a slender 438 votes. The last time the Lotus had bloomed in Fatorda in the Lok Sabha election was in 1999 when then MP Ramakant Angle led over his Congress rival Joaqim Alemao by 1,174 votes.
In the subsequent Lok Sabha poll held in 2004, 2007 and 2009, the Congress had regained its lost ground by securing handsome margins, before the margin of lead slummed to a mere 373 in the 2009 election when Francisco Sardinha retained the South Goa seat by 12,516 votes.
