NGOs in Goa take poll plunge

Goa's civil society groups, who have been raising issues of public concern from the sidelines, have now decided to test political waters and field their own candidates in the March 3 Assembly polls.

They have announced their first list of four candidates. The list includes Fr Bismarck Dias, who would be making history by becoming the first Christian priest to contest polls in Goa which has a sizeable Catholic population.

"We will be contesting in all the 40 constituencies fielding credible candidates," Yatish Naik, Convenor, Pilerne Citizens Forum (PCF), one of the groups, told PTI.

He said all this while genuine social workers used to distance themselves from "dirty game" of politics but now they want to make a difference by becoming part of the polity.

"We have decided to get into politics to clean it," Naik said, adding having representatives in the Assembly would help in getting various issues solved in a democratic method.

Candidates will be fielded on a well defined and pro- people manifesto, he maintained.

The coastal state, which has a vibrant NGO movement, has in the recent past witnessed several street protests on issues ranging from Regional Plan 2021 (labelled as a 'draconian' piece of land use plan) to iron ore mining.

PCF Chairman Prakash Bandekar said the election provides a chance to the people to save Goa, a politically volatile state, from the clutches of corruption.

Naik said there are nearly 160 groups, active from village to state level, who will be backing these candidates.

While NGOs wield considerable influence in the tourist state's rural belt, it remains to be seen whether this support translates into votes for their candidates.