Litmus test for BJP’s ‘double engine’ claims in Uttarakhand, Goa; survival test for Congress

Tribune News Service

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, February 13

It is a test for survival for a beleaguered Congress in Uttarakhand and Goa where the ruling BJP and new entrants like AAP and TMC will fight for the 70 and 40 Assembly seats, respectively, on Monday. For the BJP, it is a litmus test for the top leadership’s claims of “double engine governments”, while for newcomers, like AAP and the TMC, it is a test of strength and future possibilities.

In both Uttarakhand and Goa —rivals have been targeting BJP’s chief ministers Pushkar Singh Dhami and Pramod Sawant on issues like inflation, unemployment. In Uttarakhand, where the Congress is trying to gain lost ground after a rout in 2017 Assembly elections and AAP is contesting all 70 seats, the BJP is also being targeted for change of chief minister in the past few months.

The BJP had won 57 out of a total of 70 seats in Uttarakhand in the last elections, limiting the Congress to 11.

Promising welfare and development, Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has also been appealing to the people to vote for his ‘new’ party in Uttarakhand and Goa. “Both parties looted the people of Goa and Uttarakhand. If you vote for them again, they will continue looting you. This time a new party-AAP is there. We will deliver on welfare, development-related works. Give AAP a chance,” he said.

In Uttarakhand, it is also a make or break for Congress’ Harish Rawat, who today claimed that “no one in the party had any objections to him being named the chief ministerial candidate. While the party has not announced a CM face, the former CM said “more than 40% of the people” wanted to see him as one.

“I do politics of struggle, not power. The party has told me that the election campaign will be led by me. We are fighting to win the elections. Nobody in the party has any objections to my name as the Chief Ministerial candidate. No party member has expressed any objection to my name,” Rawat was quoted as saying.

While the two states have traditionally been seeing a bipolar type of politics, this time they are witnessing a multi-cornered contest with AAP contesting both in Goa and Uttarakhand. In Goa, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and some smaller parties are also in the fray.

While Goa has around 301 candidates contesting on 40 Assembly seats, in Uttarakhand as many as 632 candidates are trying their luck on the 70 seats.

The Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) are contesting in alliance, while the TMC is with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

The Shiv Sena and the NCP have a pre-poll alliance.

Then there are small parties like the Revolutionary Goans, Goencho Swabhimaan Party, Jai Mahabharat Party and Sambhaji Brigade and Independent candidates, including late Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal, in the fray.

Predicting a tough fight in Goa where a minor shift in votes can change the outcome, observers say the BJP is hoping that AAP and TMC will “eat into the Congress’s votes”.

“In a state like Goa, a couple of hundred seats can turn the tables. Any shift of votes away from the Congress will only help the BJP,” they said.

In 2017, the BJP won 13 of the 40 seats.

The Congress with a lesser share emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats.

However, steered by late Parrikar the BJP managed to outmaneuver the Congress by cobbling together a ruling coalition with parties like the MGP and the GFP and two independent MLAs.

In Uttarakhand, along with Dhami, the day will decide the fate of several senior leaders like Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat, Rekha Aryat Madan Kaushik. From Congress there are Rawat, Yashpal Arya, Ganesh Godiyal and Pritam Singh.

In Goa, contestants include Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat (Congress), former CMs Churchill Alemao (TMC), Ravi Naik (BJP), Laxmikant Parsekar (independent), former deputy CMs Vijai Sardesai (GFP) and Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP) and AAP’s CM face Amit Paleker.

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