Game on for Goa

BJP has the upper hand in Goa, but a grand alliance by the opposition could spoil its plans

- DNYANESH JATHAR

The battle lines for the assembly elections are being drawn in Goa. In the fray are the old rivals—like the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress—and some new contenders. National Highway 66, which passes through the state, is flanked with hoardings featuring West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. The Aam Aadmi Party, too, has put up posters promising up to 300 units of free electricity and an unemployment allowance of up to ₹5,000 per month.

Goa has 40 assembly seats, with around 20,000 to 22,000 voters in each constituency. As the pool of voters in each constituency is small, the difference of a couple of hundred votes can make or mar political careers. It also means that personalities count in these elections.

The BJP has been in power for 10 years here. In 2012, the party won a majority on its own. But in 2017, Congress was the single largest party with 17 seats. The BJP, which finished second with 13 seats, engineered defections in Congress and captured power. The party also sent Manohar Parrikar, then the Union defense minister, to take over as chief minister. After Parrikar’s death in 2019, there were fears that the government would collapse. But Chief Minister Pramod Sawant proved to be a smart operator.