PANAJI
It has been more than two months that Goa’s political atmosphere was pregnant with an imminent cloudburst of Bharatiya Janata Party-induced defections, or what is coming to be referred to nationally as ‘Operation Kamal’.
On Wednesday, ‘Operation Kamal’ was finally executed here in Goa with visible haste and the trigger, at least for the BJP lies in the exigencies of national politics rather than the State’s.
Couldn’t have been clearer when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at his Wednesday’s press conference after the formalities were done, said: “Congress started the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, but I think ‘Congress Chhodo Yatra’ has started in Goa. People from across the country are leaving Congress and joining BJP.”
Wednesday’s defection of the eight Congress MLAs has helped the BJP steal a march in driving the narrative in national politics, where several parties occupying the Opposition space, including the Congress, are in a churn to take guard for the 2024 battle, a senior BJP leader told The Goan.
According to the leader, a former MP who did not want to be identified, the party has recently suffered setbacks in its muscular political powerplay nationally in Bihar and Jharkhand, after its success in winning back power in Maharashtra.
The trend had to be reversed and Goa, which was already a project in planning, came in handy, he added.
After the Maharashtra triumph, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP but retained the government with a mahagathbandhan alongwith the RJD and Congress. Later in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren hastened a confidence vote and won it to thwart a suspected ‘Operation Kamal’ attempt.
Not that there will not be any political advantages for the BJP and Sawant in particular from Wednesday’s 'Operation Kamal’ here in Goa.
The BJP-led coalition government of Sawant’s is comfortable in the numbers game with 25 on its side in the 40-member House. Nonetheless Wednesday’s improvement of the party’s own strength to 28 will diminish the bargaining power of ally MGP and the supporting independents.
Also, more importantly for Sawant himself, the new equations will give him room and muscle to ward off the nagging game of one-upmanship he faces from his competitor for the top post -- Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Sooner or later, Sawant will deal his hand on Goa’s political poker table, and although he has for the record ruled out a cabinet reshuffle for now, sources say it is imminent with at least three current cabinet ministers likely to be replaced.
