Party presidents facing music

Sandesh Prabhudesai
27 May 2002

All five presidents of the major political parties, contesting Assembly elections this time, are facing tough time from their opponents.

It includes Laxmikant Parsekar, local president of the ruling BJP, contesting for the second time from Mandrem, the constituency in the deep north. After losing to former minister Ramakant Khalap in the last Assembly polls, he is once again crossing swords with the silver-haired politician.

In fact Khalap was denied ticket by the BJP this time at Parsekar's insistence, as a result of which he walked over to the Congress. Khalap had contested as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party candidate in 199, but later defected to the Congress and then the BJP.

Though Khalap is facing a challenge from a rebel Congress candidate and former minister Sangeeta Parab, Parsekar can win the seat only if Khalap's personal charisma cannot rally his voters behind him as usual. While Parsekar is trying to win over Khalap's MGP vote bank, Parab is trying to retain the Congress votes with her, to push him to third place.

Though she was elected comfortably 32 months ago from the Cumbarjua constituency, Goa PCC chief Nirmala Sawant is also found to be in trouble due to her last-time BJP rival Govind Parvatkar. She had won the seat only by 850 votes and may possibly get lost in a triangular fight this time. The MGP has also fielded quite a strong candidate this time.

Though one-time ruler MGP is showing recovery signs in these elections as many BJP voters are shifting back to their old heroic party of Hindu bahujan samaj, its president Shashikala Kakodkar is caught up between two bigwigs. BJP minister Prakash Phadte and former Congress minister Harish Zantye have overscored in Mayem constituency, which she represented twice before.

After ruling Goa since 1973 for almost four years after her father and first CM Bhausaheb Bandekar died, Kakodkar could stage a comeback only in 1989 and then 1994, but could not continue in the last Assembly. Presently, the former CM is being considered in a third position.

Another political bigwig facing music this time is Dr Wilfred de Souza, former chief minister and the local NCP chief, from his former personal assistant Trojan D'Mello - the Congress candidate this time. It is primarily a four-cornered contest, besides an independent, who has been denied the BJP ticket.

Dr Willy, the five-time MLA since 1974, can emerge victorious once again only if the BJP rebel Dilip Kalangutkar comes to his rescue by roping into the BJP vote bank. The Christian vote bank in the northern coastal villages here will be however divided between the Congress, the NCP and the United Goans Democratic Party.

The Shiv Sena here however is a very small force and not expected to win a single candidate. As they have fielded only 15 candidates out of 40, their prime intention appears to be to establish its political identity and help the party retain its recognition, rather than winning elections.

Sanjay Harmalkar, the local Sena chief, is thus bound to make very little impact in Mapusa, where the prime contest is between the Congress and the BJP while the NCP and the MGP will decide the winner, by splitting votes on both the sides. The Sena in fact had only one major rally in Goa, inviting Uddhav Thackeray.

The overall political situation in the tourist state is presently so vulnerable that none of the party president could move out of their respective constituency and help other candidates. In fact, the Congress appointed former MP Shantaram Naik as an interim president, solely for the purpose of elections.

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