PANAJI
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections, slated to be held in early March, are set to witness a fierce contest as political heavyweights and citizen leaders prepare to lock horns in the civic arena.
Though the polls are officially not on party lines, mainstream parties and local strongmen are once again poised to surrogately politicise the battle for control of the capital's civic body.
Revenue Minister Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate is expected to float his panel with his son and current Mayor Rohit Monserrate as its face. Backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Monserrate panel is likely to contest all wards, with reports suggesting that several sitting councillors may be replaced to inject fresh faces into the line-up.
The move signals Babush’s intent to consolidate his grip over Panaji’s civic body while projecting continuity through Rohit’s mayoral leadership.
On the other side, a coalition is reportedly taking shape. Multiple-term corporators Surendra and Ruth Furtado, rivals of Monserrate in CCP politics in the current term, are said to be joining hands with Utpal Parrikar, son of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, former councillor Menino Da Cruz and Taleigao aspirant Dattaprasad Naik.
The group is in advanced talks to field joint candidates across wards, presenting itself as a counterweight to the BJP-backed panel.
The Congress, meanwhile, remains in a state of flux. With internal rifts surfacing -- including a show-cause notice to its leader and 2022 Panaji candidate Elvis Gomes and inactivity of its 2022 Taleigao candidate Tony Rodrigues -- the party has yet to articulate its strategy.
However, indications suggest it may eventually throw its weight behind the loose understanding between the Furtados, Parrikar and Naik, and join the anti-Monserrate front.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also expected to enter the fray, weighing options to field a set of candidates. Whether AAP contests independently or aligns tacitly with the opposition bloc is as yet not known.
As Panaji heads into the polls, civic issues such as waste management, infrastructure, and urban planning remain central to voter concerns. Yet the elections are widely seen as a proxy battle between Babush Monserrate’s political machinery, bolstered by BJP support, and a coalition of independent voices seeking to challenge his dominance.
With panels being stitched together and alliances still fluid, the CCP elections promise to be one of the most closely watched contests and could set the tone for Goa’s civic politics with other municipal bodies expected to go to polls in April-May.
