BJP AGAIN
For Goa, 2022 began on a high note politically with the conduct of the Assembly polls in February. The activity was marred by the pre-election resignation of MLAs to contest on different party tickets. In the election held on Valentine’s Day, the BJP won 20 of the 40 seats, an improvement from 13 bagged by the saffron party in 2017. Congress won 11, AAP two, and GFP and RGP one seat each. Despite a high-decibel campaign, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC drew a blank. The BJP's vote share was 33.31 %, while the Congress ended up with 23.46 %. Third on this list is MGP which secured a vote share of 7.6 %. The AAP which ended up with two seats had a vote share of 6.77 %. The TMC which made its debut in Goa ended up with a vote share of 5.21 %, while 1.12 % exercised NOTA.
Soon after the poll results, two MLAs of the MGP, which had fought in alliance with the TMC, gave their support to the BJP, as did three Independents (Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Chandrakant Shetye and Antonio Vas), taking the BJP strength to 25. Even though the newly-elected MLAs took oath in the Assembly on March 16, there was intense suspense over the CM candidate. The swearing-in ceremony of CM Pramod Sawant, a three-time MLA from Sankhlim and his cabinet colleagues was delayed. On March 28, the one-of-a-kind swearing-in ceremony of the double-engine BJP government headed by Sawant and his eight ministers was held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in the presence of nearly 10,000 people, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CMs of BJP-governed states, among others.
CROP CRISIS
Cashew, mango, and other crops in Goa were harmed by the 52 mm of unseasonal rain in April 2022. Due to climate change, the wet spell caused a break in the natural cycle. The mango blossom season was impacted by pests that emerged early due to the rainy, humid, and cloudy weather. The four-month southwest monsoon in Goa finished with a total average rainfall of 2720 mm due to the large decline in rainfall in August, which left a 9.6% shortfall in comparison to the typical value of 3008 mm.
DEFECTION SAGA
The rumours that eight MLAs were joining the BJP, which were circulating in July, gained traction. In September, the BJP gained eight of the 11 Congress MLAs, bringing its total strength to 28. With this, there were only three legislators left in Congress (Carlos Ferreira, Altone D’Costa and Yuri Alemao). Interestingly, in the run-up to the Assembly elections, the Congress had taken its candidates to different places of religious worship where they were administered the oath of not switching sides if elected.
PHOGAT CASE
In August, the death of Sonali Phogat, a BJP leader from Haryana, rocked the State. The episode exposed the drug problem that has plagued the seaside region's tourism industry once more. After partying with her two friends, who were later detained along with three drug dealers and the case was eventually turned over to the CBI, Phogat passed away at the seaside resort of Anjuna.
IFFI RETURNS
In November, the 53rd International Film Festival of India kicked off amid much fanfare as the festival returned to a fully physical format after going hybrid for the last two editions due to Covid. Spanish coming-of-age drama ‘I Have Electric Dreams’ won the Golden Peacock award, and Vahid Mobasheri and Daniela Marin Navarro won honours for best acting. Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi won the Indian Film Personality of the Year award.
GOOD NEWS
There is good news on reviving mining in Goa. The Goa government completed the first phase of the auction of mining blocks with four companies winning bids for the extraction of ore from different mineral-rich stretches of the State. This is for the first time in Goa's mining history that leases are being awarded through auctioning.
MOPA TAKES OFF
Goa got its much-awaited full-fledged civilian airport. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the green field international airport at Mopa village on December 11, which was named Manohar International Airport (GOX). The Mopa airport, a Rs 2,870-crore complex centred on sustainability, is equipped to handle extra-large wide-body jets like the Airbus A380. The airport would be receiving its first flight on January 5, 2023.
PM UNVEILS AYURVEDA
INSTITUTE AT DHARGAL
The Goa centre of All India Institute of Ayurveda at Dhargal, amid the Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo was inaugurated by the PM. It will provide some of the best tertiary care facilities, such as Panchakarma, and will play a catalytic role in making the State a hub of medical tourism activities.
MISHAPS SOAR
Statistics on road accidents for 2022 are a matter of grave concern. From January through September of this year, there were 20 fatal accidents on average. Goa has experienced a 15% increase in accidents compared to last year, a 16% increase in fatal accidents, and a 25% increase in fatalities. The tiny State, where the number of vehicles outnumbers its population, has reported roughly eight accidents daily over the past nine months. 56% of incidents that were reported were the fault of the driver or rider; the remaining accidents were caused by stray animals, road geometry, drunk and reckless driving, potholes, over-speeding, poor street lighting, etc. More than 217 lives were lost between January and October.
