PANAJI
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returning to power by winning 50 per cent of the 40 seats, many may say that the palpable anti-incumbency sentiment didn't quite translate on results day.
But dig deeper into the election result beyond the numbers and realisation dawns that Goa's 11.6-lakh strong electorate did indeed manifest its sentiment against 'incumbents' and booted out as many as 20 MLAs of the outgoing assembly, much in keeping with its 3-decade long reputation of culling close to 50 per cent of sitting MLAs.
Twenty of the thirty-seven legislators of the previous House, who had thrown their hat in the electoral ring hoping to retain their seats, were defeated, most prominent among them being the Speaker of the outgoing House, Rajesh Patnekar and the two 'Babu' deputy chief ministers of the previous Pramod Sawant-led cabinet -- Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar and Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar.
The other notable losers were long-serving legislators Churchill Alemao, Filipe Nery Rodrigues, Isidore Fernandes, Francis Silveira and Milind Naik.
The electorate also voted to the new House as many as 19 newbies, all first time MLAs.
The fresh faces are: Jit Arolkar (Mandrem), Pravin Arlekar (Pernem), Dr Chandrakant Shetye (Bicholim), Premendra Shet (Mayem), Dr Deviya Rane (Poriem), Delilah Lobo (Siolim), Kedar Naik (Saligao), Carlos Alvares Ferreira (Aldona), Rodolfo Fernandes (St Cruz), Viresh Borkar (St Andre), Rajesh Faldesai (Cumbharjua), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Krishna Salkar (Vasco), Antonio Vas (Cortalim), Venzy Viegas (Benaulim), Ulhas Tuenkar (Navelim), Yuri Alemao (Cuncolim), Cruz Silva (Velim) and Altone D'Costa (Quepem).
Also, four politicians -- Aleixo Sequeira, Ganesh Gaonkar, Subash Faldesai and Ramesh Tawardkar -- got the opportunity to make comebacks, the first named after a gap of 10 years.
Only three legislators of the outgoing assembly had refrained from re-contesting -- veterans Pratapsingh Rane, Luizinho Faleiro and Pandurang Madkaikar.
In 2017, Goa's electorate had booted out 19 MLAs, including the then sitting Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, current Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Arlekar and Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate.
In the 2012 elections, 18 MLAs had lost including almost all the cabinet ministers then -- Ravi Naik, Nilkant Halarnkar, Churchill Alemao, Joaquim Alemao, Aleixo Sequeira and Jose Philip D'Souza.
Five years earlier in 2007, it was an election that saw 16 MLAs defeated, the least in the six elections held since 1999. However, some of the more famous politicians (three ex-CMs) were among those who perished -- the late Dr Wilfred de Souza, Luizinho Faleiro and Francisco Sardinha.
In 2002, 17 of the 40 sitting legislators lost including former Union Minister Ramakant Khalap, current Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, Churchill Alemao and Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan spearhead Nirmala Sawant.
The 1999 elections had the most number of sitting MLAs sent home by the electorate -- 23. The more famous among those losers were the then outgoing Speaker Tomazinho Cardozo, current Union Minister Shripad Naik and the late Dr Kashinath Jhalmi.
