Goa : Come May 7 and the erstwhile Portuguese State of Goa will witness voting in its two Parliamentary constituencies as part of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. As many as 93 other Parliamentary constituencies throughout India dwill also see voting on May 7, 2024.

Goa was liberated from 451 years of Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961 and was conferred Statehood on May 30, 1987, while also being divided into two districts of North Goa and South Goa.

Blessed with sunny skies, golden sandy beaches, roaring blue seas and verdant mountains of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri Ranges) locking the 105-kms-long coastline, the tiny State of Goa with total area of 3,702 square kms has only two Lok Sabha seats.

Yet this tiny State is an international tourism destination with huge numbers of global tourists flying in to savour the sun, sand and cuisine, even as it gets into electoral mode.

The political parties in this electoral fray are: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc-supported Congress, besides also the Revolutionary Goans (RG).

The Congress has chosen a retired Indian Navy “Kargil” veteran Captain Viriato Fernandes to contest from South Goa, and former Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap in North Goa.

Meanwhile, one BJP leader is hoping to extend his present 25-year incumbency in the North Goa Parliamentary seat by taking on the challenge of  veteran politician Ramakant Khalap.

The BJP has fielded veteran party leader and North Goa Lok Sabha MP Shripad Naik against the 77-year-old politician/advocate and Congressman Ramakant Khalap, while  industrialist Pallavi Dempo takes on Congress’ Viriato Fernandes.

Rejoining the electoral fray after a 17-year gap by filing his nomination recently, Khalap – who was a Union Minister in 1996-98 – said he was “feeling +young and energetic+ about representing the voice of Goa, which had not been adequately done in Parliament over the past 25 years.”

Highlighting expectations of a “tsunami” of support on May 4, South Goa I.N.D.I.A Bloc Congress candidate, ‘Kargil’ veteran and Navy Captain Viriato Fernandes said that “History will be created on June 4.”

Noting that the “Government’s plans to shut down Goa’s Dabolim airport could snatch the livelihood of people in South Goa tourist belt including taxis, rickshaws, hotels, shacks, stalls,” Fernandes said the +India Government is planning to take control of Goa’s coastline with six of its rivers nationalised in 2016.+

“Now Goa faces a water crisis, but the BJP is giving tacit support to divert Mhadei water to Karnataka – not because of water shortage, but instead to facilitate steel plant and coal in that State,” he said while urging voters to defeat the BJP also for its +fake promises, injustice and growing inflation including exorbitant prices of petrol and diesel that are badly hitting the common man.+

Highlighting the need for +Special Status+ to protect Goa for future generations, the +Kargil+ candidate retorted that he had “served as a soldier and needed no advice from BJP leaders on the +Constitution+.”

Meanwhile, BJP’s Shripad Naik remains unfazed by his opposition’s comments, while highlighting his own many accomplishments in his 25 years as BJP North Goa MP.

Naik, who has been battling anti-incumbency efforts with some of party MLAs not in favour of him, is however riding on the support of the Goa BJP MLAs.

Highlighting Goa’s progress as her “foremost” priority, South Goa BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo assured about bringing Central development projects and schemes to the State, while also asserting this objective as her main platform in this election.

However, the +dark horse+ who can spring a surprise in the Goa election is the Revolutionary Goans (RG) party leader and North Goa candidate Manoj Parab, who has staked his claim through his protective stand on +POGO+ (People of Goan origin.)

Parab had offered to support Congress while spelling out his three conditions: INDIA-block manifesto to include scrapping of Khalsa-Bhandura project, demolition of illegal slums and settlement of the POGO issue by April 20.

However, the INDIA Bloc partners reacted by saying that “they do not want to fall into the trap of the RGP laid by the BJP.”

Meanwhile, the +Watch-n-Wait+ election audience is looking on with growing curiosity about the election outcome.

“Increasing number of +Potholes+ is the menace observed nowadays not only on the roads – which have given vehicles riders backaches galore – but also in politics, where “look before you leap” is not the norm and the result is not very politically palatable,” says Goan Hotelier and social activist Edwin Fonseca.

Setting up as site engineer the Hotel Hyatt Regency in Deira (Dubai) 35 years ago, Fonseca returned to Goa to set up a ‘heritage’ Hotel +Astoria+ in the sleepy hamlet of ‘Asagaon’ (meaning “A Village is there” comment by a lost seeker in the forest there in the olden times.)

Lamenting the “false propaganda” by some non-goan politicians highlighting Goa as a cheap culture destination like some south-east Asian countries, Fonseca lambasted these speakers as “corrupt-minded.”

“Goa needs clean: beaches, politics and politicians, water, power, tourism, cheap petrol and logistics including taxis from airports and local travel. Also needed are separate beach zones for: cuisine, parties, singing, dancing and festivities so that locals are not disturbed.

Real Estate Pune baron Rajiv Chiplunkar, a new entrant on Goa’s real estate scene, is part of the many that are eyeing a piece of the State’s real estate “pie,” though with fore-vision highlighting sustainable and renewable development. pertaining to land space, power, water and other related factors.

“Goa is so beautiful and there is tremendous scope here for sustainable environmental tourism activities like sport fishing, angling, boating including underwater sightseeing boating and so on,” said P. Ramnath, P.R./Real estate entrepreneur from Sharjah/Dubai, whose exploration of Goa sees him gasping in sad admiration at the old Portuguese houses running to decay.

However, local Goans have their own view on the present scenario. Pritesh Kerkar (48), a small-time teashop owner in Bastora village of North Goa, narrated his election woes.

When a milk spill by a rude supplier caused Rs 12,000 worth of damage, followed by the customers anger at the resulting non-delivery, the distraught Kerkar lamented his loss and then recalled how much the Rs 15 lakhs promised by Prime Minister Modi would have solved this financial problem then.

Now besieged by ill health including recurring black-scarred painfully-puffed up legs, he somehow manages to scramble about lamely in running his business and managing to pay off his debts, while still hoping that the politicians “walk the talk” in their tall election promises to people.

=============================

(BOX): Goa shot into prominence after it was discovered by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, (who had set sail from his country to discover a route to the Americas and instead discovered the spice-filled country of India and made Goa their base}.

Goa’s popularity was highlighted in the late 1960s – to rival the popular global beach destinations — when the hippies +flower people+ of San Francisco in the USA found it to be their idea of a “Woodstock” setting for freedom in living in the ‘buff’ amidst their own music and cuisine.

The easy-going Goan culture helped them to adopt their own lifestyles and blend in with the Goa crowds while still maintaining their own lifestyles and often adding events of their own.

They introduced their version of a “Flea Market” which saw them peddling their version of Goan cuisine, getting “stoned” under the stars and producing trance music off their guitars, while the “broke” ones were often selling off to the crowds their American branded clothing like jeans, that were rare and popular in those days. (BOX ends)