Parrikar saves the day for BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party swept the Congress out of power in the 40-member Goa Assembly, winning 21 seats. A jubilant Manohar Parikkar, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, lost no time in announcing his party’s priority list, which included crucial decisions on value-added tax and tackling inflation in Budget 2012-13.

“The Congress has been punished,” he said. “I got support from the Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. They have voted to save Goa.”

The view was also aired by Nitin Gadkari, the national president of BJP, which had contested the Goa Assembly polls in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. For the Congress, mounting corruption and factionalism, led to the humiliating defeat — its tally came down to nine from 16 in the previous elections. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi conceded that illegal mining had turned the tide in BJP’s favour. “We will introspect deeply. We will have an inquiry.” Many of the Congress stalwarts, including four from the Churchill Alemao family and state party chief Subhas Shirodkar lost their seats.
   

GOA
Party	Seats won
	2007	2012
INC	16 (32.25)*	9
BJP	14 (30.32)	21
NCP	3 (5.02)	-
MAG	2 (8.62)	3
SGF	2 (7.80)	-
UGDP	1 (5.04)	-
Others	2 (9.20)	7
Total	40	40
*Numbers in parenthesis represent vote %

Congress and NCP ministers, including Churchill Alemao, Joaquim Alemao, Manohar Asgaonkar, Filip Nery Rodrigues, Jose Philip Dsouza and Nilkant Halarnkar, lost the polls to new faces mostly fielded by BJP-MGP alliance. Chief minister Digambar Kamat won from Madgaon, while the United Goan Democratic Party bagged 2 seats.

AGENDA**

*  Preventing illegal mining
*  Reassessing regional plan of Goa 2021
*  Ensuring proceeds from all mining activities is deployed in Goa itself

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

*  Making bypass roads around cities to check trucks carrying iron ore from clogging city roads. That would entail huge investment?
* Garnering political will to step on toes of vested interests to curb illegal mining
* Creating jobs that ensure ethnicity of Goans is protected

**Winning party’s poll promise