Fatorda is poised for a high-octane battle of two heavyweights, with GFP president Vijai Sardesaiand BJP general secretary Damodar Naikthe two power centers of the constituency, crossing swords.
It’s an existential battle for both.
Sardesai persisted with his proposal for alliance with Congress despite several snubs from the latter with the sole objective of, as political observers point out, safeguarding his Fatorda seat. If Congress was to field a formidable candidate in Fatorda, a split in minority votes between GFP and Congress would have queered the pitch for Sardesai.
A defeat for Sardesai would essentially put the fortunes of his regional party into jeopardy.
On the other hand, Naik, who had preferred to retreat into silence letting Sardesai play his megaphone style of politics during his stint as deputy chief minister in the Manohar Parrikar-government, is determined to avenge his humiliation by wresting the seat for his party.
Bereft of any issues, local or ideological, the election campaign in Fatorda is largely driven by the Goemkarponn-Fottingponn narrative.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant chose to accentuate the tone of this acerbic discourse by labeling Sardesai’s 10-year tenure as one marked by “fott, fotting and fottingponn” (falsehood), playing sarcastically on GFP’s catchphrase ‘Goem, Goemkar, Goemkarponn’.Political observers are of the view that Sardesai, two-time MLA, is facing a tremendous trust deficit among the Catholic voters which forms a sizeable section of the electorate, mainly on account of his move to join the saffron forces post 2017 polls after ramping up a scathing diatribe against BJP in the run up to the election.
Though Sardesai has often apologised for this on public platforms, the beating his image had been taken for doing the Volte face hasn’t been restored as yet, poll watchers said.
Eyeing to cash in on the resentment against Sardesai is TMC candidate Seoula Vas, who was fielded after its national vice-president, Luizinho Faleiro, withdrew from the fray.
Political observers say that Faleiro’s retreat enabled Sardesai to breathe a bit easier. His nomination as TMC candidate was seen as a threat to Sardesai, as the erstwhile veteran Congressman was expected to eat into a sizeable chunk of the traditional Congress votes, thereby benefitting BJP.
Nevertheless, Vas has succeeded in projecting herself as an alternative by her oratory skills and the confidence she exudes in her campaign. Vas’ gains will be in direct proportion to Sardesai’s loss, poll watchers say.
The pattern of voting by the ST voters which also constitutes a sizable chunk of the electorate in this constituency would also determine the outcome of the polls. Ahead of the polls, Fatorda witnessed a fierce competition from both the principal rival camps to rope in leaders of the tribal communities.
“Whatever be the brand of politics he practices, Sardesai has brought in development in terms of road network, beautification of spaces and traffic islands, introduction of traffic signals, removal of traffic bottlenecks, etc.,” said a political observer. “This is clearly evident when one enters Fatorda, and stands in stark contrast to the type of development in neighboring Margao. This pro-development image will stand him in good stead.”
The Naik camp, however, focusses on demolishing this narrative by stressing that all groundwork for development was made during his tenure as MLA for two terms from 2002 to 2012 and that whatever Sardesai did was just a follow-through exercise.
Given the high stakes involved and the altered political equations, the constituency appears to be headed for a photo finish.
It’s an existential battle for both.
Sardesai persisted with his proposal for alliance with Congress despite several snubs from the latter with the sole objective of, as political observers point out, safeguarding his Fatorda seat. If Congress was to field a formidable candidate in Fatorda, a split in minority votes between GFP and Congress would have queered the pitch for Sardesai.
A defeat for Sardesai would essentially put the fortunes of his regional party into jeopardy.
On the other hand, Naik, who had preferred to retreat into silence letting Sardesai play his megaphone style of politics during his stint as deputy chief minister in the Manohar Parrikar-government, is determined to avenge his humiliation by wresting the seat for his party.
Bereft of any issues, local or ideological, the election campaign in Fatorda is largely driven by the Goemkarponn-Fottingponn narrative.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant chose to accentuate the tone of this acerbic discourse by labeling Sardesai’s 10-year tenure as one marked by “fott, fotting and fottingponn” (falsehood), playing sarcastically on GFP’s catchphrase ‘Goem, Goemkar, Goemkarponn’.Political observers are of the view that Sardesai, two-time MLA, is facing a tremendous trust deficit among the Catholic voters which forms a sizeable section of the electorate, mainly on account of his move to join the saffron forces post 2017 polls after ramping up a scathing diatribe against BJP in the run up to the election.
Though Sardesai has often apologised for this on public platforms, the beating his image had been taken for doing the Volte face hasn’t been restored as yet, poll watchers said.
Eyeing to cash in on the resentment against Sardesai is TMC candidate Seoula Vas, who was fielded after its national vice-president, Luizinho Faleiro, withdrew from the fray.
Political observers say that Faleiro’s retreat enabled Sardesai to breathe a bit easier. His nomination as TMC candidate was seen as a threat to Sardesai, as the erstwhile veteran Congressman was expected to eat into a sizeable chunk of the traditional Congress votes, thereby benefitting BJP.
Nevertheless, Vas has succeeded in projecting herself as an alternative by her oratory skills and the confidence she exudes in her campaign. Vas’ gains will be in direct proportion to Sardesai’s loss, poll watchers say.
The pattern of voting by the ST voters which also constitutes a sizable chunk of the electorate in this constituency would also determine the outcome of the polls. Ahead of the polls, Fatorda witnessed a fierce competition from both the principal rival camps to rope in leaders of the tribal communities.
“Whatever be the brand of politics he practices, Sardesai has brought in development in terms of road network, beautification of spaces and traffic islands, introduction of traffic signals, removal of traffic bottlenecks, etc.,” said a political observer. “This is clearly evident when one enters Fatorda, and stands in stark contrast to the type of development in neighboring Margao. This pro-development image will stand him in good stead.”
The Naik camp, however, focusses on demolishing this narrative by stressing that all groundwork for development was made during his tenure as MLA for two terms from 2002 to 2012 and that whatever Sardesai did was just a follow-through exercise.
Given the high stakes involved and the altered political equations, the constituency appears to be headed for a photo finish.
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