PANAJI
The results of the Zilla Panchayat elections in the five seats of Tiswadi taluka -- Taleigao, St Cruz, St Lawrence, Chimbel and Corlim -- have reinforced the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) dominance with the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) managing to assert its local hold in the assembly segment of its lone MLA Viresh Borkar.
Out of the five seats, the BJP secured victories in Taleigao, St Cruz and Corlim while RGP won the two seats of St Cruz and St Lawrence linked to Borkar's St Andre.
In Taleigao, the BJP buoyed by the dominance of Revenue Minister Atanansio (Babush) Monserrate, registered a comfortable win, consolidating its presence in a constituency that straddles urban Panaji and Taleigao village.
The BJP also prevailed in Chimbel where its candidate Gauri Kamat won and in Corlim, won by Siddesh Naik, son of Union Minister Shripad Naik. The victories here underscore the party’s ability to penetrate constituencies where Congress had once been competitive, signaling a shift in voter loyalty.
RGP managed to win St Cruz and St Lawrence, offering a rare bright spot in an otherwise disappointing tally.
However, the narrow margins of victory suggests vulnerability, with the BJP expected to mount a stronger challenge in future contests.
Chimbel delivered one of the most striking results, with BJP's Kamat defeating both the runner-up AAP candidate and the third-placed Congress candidate.
Chimbel’s diverse electorate, spanning lower-income settlements in the Indiranagar area and middle-class households, appears to have rallied behind a candidate promising direct accountability.
Corlim saw a fractured Opposition contest, with votes split between Congress and GFP letting the BJP’s Naik win. It also underscores the need for stronger grassroots networks.
Taken together, the five results show BJP dominance in Taleigao, Chimbel and Corlim with the RGP showing limited resilience in St Cruz and St Lawrence.
For the BJP, the taluka verdict reinforces its narrative of consolidation. For the Congress, it highlights the urgency of rebuilding local structures. For smaller outfits like AAP and GFP, the absence of wins in Tiswadi reflects their inability to penetrate traditional vote banks.
The Tiswadi taluka verdict also illustrates the BJP’s expanding political grip, Congress’s shrinking but persistent presence, the RGP's assertion of holding on to its St Andre turf, and a growing space for others as well.
