On Saturday, Goa to vote in elections that will test CM Sawant’s popularity

The polls are seen as a massive test of Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, among other related issues.

Goa will belatedly go to the polls to elect a total of 50 candidates for the zilla (district) parishad constituencies in what is proving to be a challenge for political parties to inspire voters to come out and vote during the pandemic.

File photo: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant. (PTI)

The ruling BJP, the opposition Congress, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party as well as the Aam Aadmi Party have fielded candidates in the polls that have suffered from a huge gap between the campaigning and the actual polling. Nonetheless, the election will be closely watched by political observers to gauge the mood of the state ahead of the state assembly elections in early 2022. The Goa Forward Party has not fielded any candidates in the polls.

More than a poll to elect the district panchayats, the polls are seen as a massive test of Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing protests against coal, the failure to restart mining, among other related issues.

The polls were set to be held on March 22 with all preparations in place and campaigning having concluded until the Prime Minister announced the day-long ‘Janta curfew’ which forced the Goa government to postpone polls. Initially, the polls were stalled for two days before getting postponed indefinitely.

The nine-month gap has left political parties and their candidates worried that people will not even remember who they were with campaigning having concluded back in March.

While the BJP has fielded 43 candidates in the 48 seats which go to poll on Saturday, the Congress has fielded 38, while the Aam Aadmi Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party have fielded 17 candidates each. There are 79 independent candidates in the fray.

The BJP and the Congress have expressed confidence that the voters will vote for their respective parties

“We are confident of winning these elections. There is tangible support for the BJP because of the development projects undertaken by our government,” state Bharatiya Janata Party president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said.

The opposition Congress, on the other hand, said that the people were fed up of the incompetence of the ruling BJP and would use the elections to teach the ruling dispensation a lesson.

“Goa is going through a troublesome stage and our economic condition is poor. You can see the number of protests in Goa against the decisions of the government. This will reflect in the election results,” Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said.

Goa has 50 seats up for the polls but one candidate was declared elected unopposed while another polling was countermanded after one of the contesting candidates passed away before the elections could be held.

State Election Commissioner Choka Ram Garg has said that the authority has left no stone unturned to ensure a smooth and peaceful conduct of elections including facilities for Covid-19 patients or people under home quarantine to vote.

Political analysts have however said that the elections are nothing more than a weather vane for the ruling dispensation ahead of the state assembly elections next year.

“For the ruling party, it will send important signals whether the ongoing protests against coal, the protests against the projects in the Mollem sanctuaries and protests for the restarting of mining have really changed the mood of the state or have not had any bearing,” Kishor Naik Gaonkar, editor of a local Marathi daily Goan Varta, said.

“The elections have no significance beyond giving political parties important signals for the elections to be held in a year’s time,” he added.

The BJP has been trying to prove its mettle on resuming mining as well as making commitments towards reducing the coal handling at the Mormugao Port in a bid to ensure that the protests do not make too much of a dent on the public psyche.