BJP targeting 'tourist politicians' in Goa ahead of assembly election

Although with its organisational strength and central backing, the BJP seems well-placed in the election, leadership and governance issues remain a challenge

With a mere 40-member Assembly, no one can quibble about Goa being a small state. its constituencies are relatively tiny – 25,000-30,000 voters. That is why elections can be won by narrow margins, especially when the contest is multi-cornered. In the 2017 Assembly election, for instance, the Congress candidate from Cuncolim, Clafasio Dias, defeated his nearest Independent rival by just 33 votes. The biggest victory margin was 13,000 votes — the gap between the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)’s Sudin Dhavalikar who won the Marcaim seat and his BJP rival Pradeep Pundalik Shet, who could get only 3000 votes.

In such circumstances,