It’s that time of the year that every Goan must be looking forward to. After experiencing a tumultuous decade on the political arena in the 90's, the new millennium had dawned with relative stability. Baring a few unsuccessful attempts at toppling the government, the last five years had been uneventful; and I am saying this only in context to ‘the great political musical chair’ that we Goekars are used to. Blame it on the complex arithmetic of seats, incompatibilities of some of our political heavy-weights, the divine blessings of ‘Daam-baab’, or his turning nelson’s eye towards the misdemeanors of some cabinet colleagues, Digambar Kamat has been able to add his name to the Hall of fame of full-term chief Ministers of Goa. Quite an irony that he would find himself in the league of the visionary like Dayanand ‘Bhausaheb’ Bandodkar.
But with election dates declared, the Goans can enjoy what they have missed for past half a decade. The mad rush of the aspirants seeking tickets, their claims and counter-claims, the corner meetings and canvassing will be running thick and fast. Not to miss the ‘Chicken aani Soro’ parties and the life-size figurines of fat-bellied, gold encrusted candidates dressed in ‘political’ whites. The dangling banners off the electric poles and the giant billboards will soon be a commonplace.
But this election promises to be different. Not that the usual antics won’t be there, after all they have become an inseparable part, but the scale would be at unprecedented levels. Goa as I understand has historically always been a straight battle between two candidates (I deliberately didn’t say parties). During the period post liberation it had been dual between candidates claiming allegiance to the regional parties which were steadily replaced by the national heavy-weights. These elections promise to buck the trend and may turn out to be different, if not for any pre-poll alliance. With the other national party and the usual regional parties which mushroom only during the election times raising their heads, we can expect a multi-cornered battle. The deluge of aspirants powered by funds of their mining and construction business, often illegal, means these parties won’t be left wanting for nominees. What is most interesting to see though is that these elections may be less amongst the parties and more so an election amongst the political clans.
Not just son and daughter and brother and sister, veteran politicians are readying to field their friend, PA, son-in-law and wives (plurality intended ;)). With a single seat having the potential to turn you into a king-maker, it does harm noone to have ones kith and kin by their side when the political tug of war for the elusive CM’s chair begins. If not for the CM’s seat, they can surely land up with plump portfolios or/and the chairmanship of profiteering corporations, not to mention the power, perks and the much sought-after official white ambassadors (and often Camrys, Innovas and even Hummers too) with the red beacon.
To start with the gigantic leader and strongman (figurative too) who has been tirelessly canvassing for his daughter dear. As he likes to declare “not all of his children are interested in contesting elections”. Thankfully so, lest considering his not so small family there would have been hardly any seat left for others. Not to be left behind his brother, a sitting MLA himself, has been trying to secure his political lineage by demanding a nomination for his ‘social-worker’ son. His para-dropping his pilot son into the election fray might land him more leverage in the scheme of things post elections. And if all works in their favour, they would occupy an overtly significant 10 percent of the assembly.
Another over-ambitious first time MLA from the hinterland, who has inherited political genes from his long time politician father has been trying to up their tally in the assembly complex atop the Porvorim hillock. He has been rumoured to have been coaxing his wife to contest so as to increment their already sure-shot ‘father-son’ tally by another seat. Besides he has been getting ready his own army of toadies, some imported across parties, fuelling his juggernaut towards ‘Mahalaxmi’ at Altinho. For him, getting his foot-soldiers vindicated by the electorate might be a much less a herculean task than keeping his flock together post elections, when the poachers a.k.a horse-traders would have a field day. But until then his might emerge as the single largest ‘group’, thus propelling his chances of bringing the chief ministership back home once again.
From one former chief-minister onto other, but the game-plan doesn’t differ by much expect that this ‘patrao’ plans to field both his sons. Tainted or not, he thinks both of them have toiled enough under the 'sun' for the masses and its time for their ‘sun’ rise on the political horizon. His faith in the electorate and his confidence has prompted him to field one of the two against his bête-noire and the local strongman. Perhaps he wants to kill two birds with an arrow by adding to his number while getting rid of his nemesis.
That arch-rival is no political greenhorn though. While getting himself re-elected with a thumping margin, he has also secured another adjoining constituency for his brother to add to his political muscle. Both of them have successfully struck emotional chord with the constituent voters playing the regional party card and equating their win to the existence of their beloved party. The old guard and the party loyalists thus far have, unwittingly or no, played into their hands while trying to retain the existence and symbol of the old king of the Goa political jungle.
The other regional party, or rather its modern incarnation, hasn’t been as lucky in this regards. Virtually it has ceased to exist, but miraculously pops itself out of hibernation whenever the election commission rings its bell. Time and again, it has been used, reused, misused and abused by many mean politicians for their own good, trying to extract whatever two-bits of emotional calling it still has for a certain section of the society. It also acts as a watering hole for all those disgruntled candidates who or whose wife has been denied tickets by others. A la 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' scene at Dona-Paul, this 'smarter than fifth grader' hubby had denounced another sought after ticket at the eleventh hour, to take the plunge with his dear wife in the whirlpool of elections on this party ticket. Unfortunately for the duo while the husband was able to swim ashore, his wife wasnt able to stay afloat in the sea of ballots. Barring minor jugglery of seats I reckon this husband-wife duo are ready to sound their election bugle and also hoping this time to cross the finish line together.
Extremities do exist in life. While there are some who knock at the doors of some old party to get their ‘wedded’ wife a ticket, there are others who are floating new party entirely to provide a launch pad to his wife, wedded or not notwithstanding. This maverick has very grandiose plans to field candidates, many of them ‘wedded’ to him, throughout the length and breadth of the Goan paradise. It needs to be seen as to how many of them faithfully follow his footsteps on road to the state assembly.
With the fathers doing their bit for their wards, this matriarch wasn’t to be left too far behind in propping her son. This ‘Mummy’ of all like most of the mothers has depicted highest degree of sacrifice when she offered to bow out of her seat in love of her son. It needs to be seen whether this mother-son bonhomie would help pave way for son to become another ‘Goan protector’.
Though many have been able to field their blood relatives in the fray, the unlucky ones not bestowed with more ‘social-workers’ within the family have to look beyond. ‘Blood is thicker than water’ they say, but in politics it need not be always. While some ‘witty’ doctor who though in his sunset days of political career still seeks revival of his fortune through his son-in-law, there are also others who are willing to bet on their erstwhile personal assistant. And there are other ex-MLAs, ex-policemen, industrialists and mining barons who are all set to descend in the election ring with their kith and kin. It’s anybody’s guess how many of them will be able to walk out of it... 'triumphant'.
With the dynasties warring each other and the Alemaos, Dhavalikars, Ranes, Naiks, Pachecos and Monserrates entering the battle-field with their families en-mass, don’t get surprised if the elections results is reported by the election commission as below:
Alemaos : 4
Dhavalikars : 2
Naiks : 3
Monserrates : 2
Ranes+ : 5
Pachecos : 1
Brace Yourselves!
