Voting Pattern in Goa has changed over the years! Goa has gained a notorious reputation due to its politicians and the game of musical chairs that politicians have played so smoothly. There have been many unwanted elections thrust upon the Goans. While some, specially the uneducated voters see elections as a good means to make a fast buck, the educated Goans are fed up of voting for the same faces all the time. One of the reasons for the low voter turnout at the 2007 South Goa Parlimentary elections was that.
Both the candidates put up by the Congress and BJP represent the past tense of Goan politics. While Sardinha does not have much to his credit of any achievement done in the interest of Goa and was hence shown the door by his constiuents at Curtorim. Dr Wilfred Mesquita has little reputation since switching parties from MGP to Congress to BJP and SGF. How could the electorate invest their precious votes to this type of politicians? I was meeting a few prominent journalist friends at a dinner at Casa Goa in Dubai, a journo friend argued that perhaps the glamour that would attract peoples attention to come out and vote would have been Churchill Alemao's daughter. I couldn't but disagree as the elections and the campaign had little of the Alemao's hullabaloo and perhaps a young fresh new lady would have made the voters come out in large numbers. But Valanka on the Congress ticket was a complete no no...You dont make sense at all when the father of a daughter who heads a regionl outfit goes with a begging bowl to a rival party to ask a ticket for his daughter to contest the elections on their platform. But since better sense prevailed there...let's get out of that issue. Perhaps in the history of contemporary Goa, the voters decided that their lives and work was more important than to go and get their fingr stamped after casting their mot. And it is very sad to see the pictures splashed on the local dailies...in the serpentine ques of people lined up to cast their franchise, we hardly identify any Goa in them but migrants...not the dress nor the people reflect the true old Goan culture. Is this the shape of things to come? Sadly yes! Goa and Goans should wake up to another stark reality! Every MLA is creating safe vote banks in their constituency of migrant voters. I can vouch for Margao, where huge votebanks are created by some top politicians, to ensure a smooth sailing at the hustings. The size of the migrant votebank is so huge that the results are easily influenced. Almost every village is seeing the formation of these slum colonies...true Goans must be careful and observant and question the legality of such slum areas being created by their representing MLA and question him at the time of the elections. That Goans are fed up with the habitual offenders in politics and not even willing to come out and exercise their franchise is the shape of things to come. Very soon, our elections will be decided by the migrants and seeing the blessings they get from their saviours and god fathers, the day is not far when our cities and villages will be represented by some unknown migrant. My Margao will definately take the lead in that considering the amount of slums that are created around Margao and the migrant colonies that one sees around this comercial capital of Goa. Once upon a time, the people had to wait for 5 long years to experience an election, of late elections are made to look like a joke by these bunch of jokers whom we call politicians. And like I wrote earlier on this forum....the elections the way they were placed and the candidated put up by the leading political parties....the choice was between the devil and the deep blue sea... In a few hours from now we will see of Sardinha's flamboyence still charms the ladies or Dr Mesquita's party hopping image is idolised by the 36 odd percent voters that came out to cast their vote...the dice is rolled! Regards Cedric da Costa\ Dubai I strongly feel __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
