MARGAO
The fight for supremacy for Benaulim had narrowed down to a battle royal between the Aam Aadmi Party, anxious to occupy Goa’s political space and seasoned campaigner, Churchill Alemao, a five-time MLA, two-time MP and a former Minister.
With just eight days to go for the counting of votes on March 10, Benaulikars have a question or two “ will Churchill retire from politics on a winning note, or, will the Aam Aadmi Party open its account in Goa via Benaulim.
The no holds barred contest in Benaulim had virtually turned into a battle between Aam Aadmi Party candidate Capt Venzy Viegas and Churchill, who this time threw his hat in the Benaulim ring on the Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) banner. The Congress made a determined bid to make inroads into the constituency, which was once its stronghold. Party candidate Tony Dias made every attempt to reach out to the voters as the battle zeroed down between AAP and Churchill.
Both Capt Venzy and Churchill are not willing to concede defeat in the husting, exuding confidence of victory. If AAP had come close to touch the 5,000-figure in the 2017 polls, Capt Venzy expressed confidence of polling 9,000-plus votes in the election this time round. “Our calculations and analysis shows that AAP will cross the 9,000 figure in Benaulim. That figure would ensure a victory for me and the party,” he said.
Churchill, on the other hand, says the people of Benaulim have rallied behind him in the election, exuding confidence of retaining the seat by a comfortable margin. “I have confidence in my people. They have stood by me since my first election. I am confident that people of Benaulim will once again re-elect me to the Legislative Assembly,” Churchill asserted.
Local political observers say the Aam Aadmi Party’s growth in Benaulim has been significant since the party first made its presence in the constituency in a big way in 2017. AAP’s attempt to open its account from Benaulim in 2017 might have come a cropper. The party, however, heralded its arrival in Benaulim when the party stunned political pundits to finish second in the last election.
Since then, there’s been no looking back for the party as its growth continued in Salcete’s coastal belt, the minority heartland. That AAP won the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat seat by relegating the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to the background in the 2020 election is a testimony over the party’s impressive growth along Salcete coastal belt.
Says a local political observer: “AAP’s rise in Benaulim since 2017, culminating in the party’s victory in the Zilla Panchayat polls indicates the party’s steady growth in the constituency. It is evident that people had by and large voted for AAP in 2017 and again in 2020 in the Zilla Panchayat polls. If the same trend continues in the just concluded Assembly election, the party has a fair chance of winning the seat.”
Churchill, on the other hand, is banking on his charisma and work in the constituency to keep him in good stead in the election. Local observers say one should not discount Churchill and his capacity to turn the tables against his rivals. “The battle might have narrowed down between a veteran of many a political battle and his young challenger, but Churchill knows the game,” the observer added.
The Congress has an uphill task to regain its lost glory in Benaulim. Once a stronghold, the Congress had last won the election in 1999. After Churchill’s defeat in the 2002 election, the Congress has not won from Benaulim in the last 20 years.
BENAULIM POLL STATS
Benaulim had registered lowest poll percentage, around 71.26 per cent to be precise. In terms of votes, the constituency recorded 20,637 polling in the just-concluded election
A glance at the poll statistics reveal that women will decide the fate of the contestants in the fray as women clearly outnumbered men in the polling
Of the total votes polled, 11,559 women have cast votes, as against 9,078 by men
