[POST-POLL ANALYSIS]
VASCO
During the assembly elections in 2012, voters in the twin constituencies of the port town had a limited choice between two main national parties and their two regional alliance partners, with a few fringe parties and independent candidates in between.
Fast forward to the assembly elections 2017 and with the Congress-NCP and the BJP-MGP alliances having collapsed and the presence of AAP and a rebel candidate in the fray, voters in Vasco constituency were now treated to an elaborate spread of political options.
In Mormugao, the MGP and NCP may not have contested the poll, but the AAP presence added to the choice of voters between the Congress and BJP.
The healthy turnout and the wider options for the electorate have now left the candidates on pins and needles till March 11, when counting takes place.
“Though there was a straight fight between the Congress and the BJP Mormugao constituency, the AAP candidate from Mormugao is a dark horse and could influence the outcome of the election,” said Shaym Naik from Mormugao.
Shaik Latif, another senior citizen from Mormugao, added: “It was a triangular fight between Congress, BJP and AAP. The silent voters will play a crucial role in this election.”
The situation was more complicated in Vasco constituency, with multiple heavyweights in the fray.
“With many parties having contested the election, there will be a divide in the vote share between BJP candidate Carlos Almeida, independent candidate Krishna (Daji) Salkar and NCP candidate Jose Philip D’Souza,” said Anuj Naik of Baina.
The presence of the migrant community would also have played a crucial factor in the poll, as all candidates in Vasco and Mormugao constituencies had made efforts to woo them.
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QUOTE ROOM:
“It is the right of every citizen to contest elections and the presence of many candidates in Vasco constituency will not affect the BJP, as people know what the BJP has done for them. We know the people will vote us with majority to form the next government. A break up in votes will only help the BJP and this election will show the strength and weakness of different parties,
- Vasco BJP candidate Carlos Almeida
“In 2012, there was a straight fight between BJP and Congress-NCP combine and there was a wave against the Congress, due to which people came out in large numbers and voted in favour of the BJP. The people showed the same anger but this time, it was directed at the BJP as it failed to live to public expectations.
- Vasco NCP candidate, Jose Philip D’Souza
“People are fed up with the BJP and Congress. The large turnout of the votes itself showed the resentment of the people against the BJP and Congress and have silently exercised their vote against them. It is the youth and the educated who will make the difference and the difference will be known on March 11 after the counting of votes.
- Mormugao AAP candidate, Karl Vaz
BOX:
VASCO: With as many as nine candidates in the fray, Dabolim constituency could well go down to the wire with the candidate winning by a slender majority.
While Dabolim's BJP candidate Mauvin Godinho is considered to have a slender edge, the split in votes between the stronger candidates would make it difficult for any one to predict the winning candidate.
The MGP supporters are hoping that a split in votes would benefit their candidate, Premanand Nanoskar.
“The MGP candidate Premanand Nanoskar is from New Vaddem and is easily available at any given time at his residence. The Congress and AAP candidates may take away some of the vote share of the BJP candidate, which will give an edge over to the MGP candidate,” said Sainath Tirodkar from Shantinagar, New Vaddem.
Other candidates in the fray are by no means pushovers and they have their own voter base to keep their chances alive. They include Tara Kerkar (Ind), Francisco Nunes (Congress), Vasant Naik (AAP), Kenneth Silveira (Ind), Suresh Bharve (Niz Goenkar), Kritesh Gaonkar (NCP) and Preetam Keluskar (Ind).
