PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have superior political muscle, a vastly greater amount of resources and overwhelming control of the State machinery, helped of course by a seemingly passive watchdog -- The Election Commission of India. To top it off, it also has electoral history on its side, its candidate having won the seat five times in a row since 1999.
Yet, both the saffron party and its candidate Shripad Yesso Naik, who is attempting to break Goa's five-wins-in-a-row record he shares with former South Goa MP Eduardo Faleiro, are seen huffing and puffing their way on the campaign trail in North Goa, largely facing a discernable citizen anger on half a score and more bread-and-butter issues -- lack of jobs, inflation, economic distress in rural homes, poor local (State) governance record and failure to re-start mining operations in the State.
None-the-less, Naik and the BJP are still in pole position for the May 7 elections, owing mainly to its superior political footprint in the North and its well oiled ground organisation.
On the campaign visibility front too, the BJP is here, there and everywhere. Two major rallies addressed separately by its two tallest leaders -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah -- were easily the high points of their State level campaign.
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Out of sorts in micro-management
Where the BJP's campaign has lagged though, is their famous 'micro-management' of the electoral campaign. Sources in the party have admitted that unlike past Lok Sabha campaigns, the ground workers in each of the 20 assembly segments are yet to cover voter homes to a satisfactory level, very unlike their famed electoral machine.
In many assembly segments, the ruling party is facing the challenge of plenty. Having engineered two mass defections over the last five years -- July 2019 and September 2022 -- the party is full to the brim with top-rung leaders giving rise to internal bickerings and impeding the ground campaign.
Some of the constituencies where the BJP faced the hurdle of the new v/s old partymen affecting their ground campaigning including door-to-door visits include Panaji, Taleigao, St Cruz, Saligao and Siolim.
If in Panaji the Babush v/s Utpal clash has split the loyalty of karyakatas down to the booth and panna pramukh level, in Saligao there is a three-way division between current MLA Kedar Naik and two former ministers -- Dilip Parulekar and Jayesh Salgaonkar. Similarly, Priol is another stronghold constituency of the saffron party where its poll managers are nervous about their micro-level campaign.
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Damage control mode
When it comes to elections, the BJP is usually a front-foot player even when it has to face one too many bouncers. This time is no exception and the top-level leadership, gauging the campaign's unsatisfactory levels, has gone on a damage-control mode.
Karyakatas have been put on the job to invigorate their support base. Calling campaigns have been started, database of beneficiaries of the various government welfare schemes are being sifted through and elected representatives (sarpanchas, panchas and councillors) have been given tasks and targets to ensure that BJP supporters come out and vote on election day.
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It's been all about Modi
In terms of narratives and issues picked up by the BJP during the campaign, it has all boiled down to one thing -- Modi, Modi and more Modi.
The visible anti-incumbency on the ground is perhaps why at every campaign event, the BJP leaders and speakers have been harping on Modi one-liners such as 'Viksit Bharat' and details of Central government schemes like Ayushman Bharat and the big ticket infrastructure projects particular those visible in Goa like the National Highway, Atal Setu, New Zuari Bridge, Mopa airport, etc.
Even the re-start of mining has been thrust onto the shoulders of Modi, when Amit Shah at Friday's public meeting in Mapusa thundered that restarting mining in Goa within two years is also a 'Modi Guarantee'.
