Sandesh Prabhudesai
10 May 1999
Political picture is still hazy in Goa though nominations have begun
for the state Assembly polls, scheduled for June 4. Not a single candidate filed
nomination papers today in all the 40 constituencies.
Congress infighting still continues over allotment of tickets, which
are likely to be announced on 16 May, one day prior to the last day of nominations.
Non-Congress parties, including the BJP, on the other hand are still busy confabulating
over alliances.
In a response to the unique system of filing applications directly to
the Pradesh election committee, 285 Congressmen have applied for 40 seats. The high
command has a Herculean task to select 37 among 282 as only three leaders have no second
contender.
Former chief minister Pratapsing Rane, who is also the PEC chairman,
another former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, who is now the Goa PCC chief and Sanjay
Bandekar, a former minister, are the three confirmed candidates till date.
A public statement made by Mabel Rebello, one of the high command
observers, that all leaders may not get tickets and both winnability as well as party
loyalty would be considered for candidature has raised hopes of many second-liners within
the Congress.
If the criteria is applied strictly, then at least four former
ministers - Dayanand Narvekar, Subhash Shirodkar, Carmo Pegado and Pandu Naik - lose the
chance as they had split from the party to topple the Congress government and had rejoined
later.
It is not known whether party would apply the same criteria to those
who had left their respective parties and joined the Congress. The general public mood is
however against all kind of defectors while the Congress has admitted at least six such
former legislators.
In addition, MPs Ravi Naik and Francisco Sardinha, for whom the Lok
Sabha dissolution was a blessing in disguise, have requested party president Sonia Gandhi
to allow them to go back to the state politics. Both had miserably lost last Assembly
polls in 1994.
With mad rush for tickets and overambitious plans to enter
‘political business’, rebellion seems inevitable within the Congress camp once
candidates are announced on 16 May. In fact, every candidate may face at least two rebels
this time, unlike in the past.
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the United Goans Democratic Party,
Goa Rajiv Congress as well as the BJP are also closely watching the Congress scene, while
they are still undecided over alliance issue.
Only the UGDP appears comfortable as any kind of alliance would be
compelled to have seat adjustments with them, who are the only anti-Congress force in
Catholic-dominated Salcete taluka, consisting of eight Assembly segments.
Pressure appears to be mounting on the MGP leadership to align with the
BJP, leaving its earlier idea of having a front of only regional parties, failing which a
large group led by former chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar has reportedly threatened to
split from the MGP to join the BJP.
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