When the voters of Margao Assembly Constituency caste their votes on 2nd June 2005 for the bye elections, one of the five constituencies, which will eventually decide who would sit on the treasury benches from June 2005 to June 2007 (the official term end of this House) little will the "aam admi" or Winston Churchills "little man" (read voter) realise that behind the re-election or rejection of three times MLA and veteran politician Mr Digamber Kamat (INC) OR the youthful new entrant Mr Sharmad Raturkar (BJP) the electoral result on 5th June will eventually be a decider on who will continue or be the KING OF SALCETE.
Therefore in the Margao Assembly Constituency there are much more political stakes than the naked eye can see. It must be remembered that Margao is not only a commercial and cultural centre, but is the FULCRUM of all commercial activity of Salcete. SALCETE has 30 VILLAGE PANCHAYATS 2 MUNICIPALITIES Salcete is the richest taluka in Goa, not only of the Old Conquest which came under Portuguese rule from 1510 to 1961 but also the New Conquests which came under Portuguese rule from 1763 to 1961 . On the positive side the number of Banks, the Bank deposits, the rapid land fragmentation, the growing migrant population, the number of private buses inter and intra city the starred hotels the growing tourism industry etc etc are all indicators of the socio economic status of Salcette. On the negative side the number of criminal cases viz traffic violations, thefts, murders, cheating by non banking financial companies (remember those sheep and tree plantation and now the outsourcing) multiple litigation, institutionalised forms of corruption--involving legal practitioners, medical practitioners (number of maternity homes speciality health care centres etc) real estate (apartments ) government land revenue authorities (affidavits, certificate of birth partition mutation survey etc) also indicate that there is so much money flowing into this taluka that every one jumps to get his her pound of flesh (money) Postings in Government Departments located in this constituency come at a "price" for only those that suscribe to the institutionalised corruption can survive in this taluka. The law makers -- politicians ordain thus. Ever since Assembly elections in Margao the MARGAO ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY has always gone to the SARASWAT HINDU BRAHMIN . Post liberation the Hindu Sarawat Brahmin community realised that the Catholic community should slowly but surely be relegated to second class status. The seeds of this mission were actually sown in 1925. To this they realised that Margao should be the cradle of politics in Goa given its strategic position in Salcete Talukar. Thus following Vassudev Sarmalkar, late Mr Anant (Babu) Narcinva Nayak (Naik for political reasons) was the undisputed king of Salcete -- rememeber it is he who picked and chose in 1980 (INC (Urs) to INC (Indira) birth in Goa) Luizinho Faleiro- Navelim, Francisco Monte Cruz Benaulim, Manu Fernandes, Velim Francisco Sardinha and even earlier Eduardo Faleiro (both Brahmins) for Curtorim and then Mormugao Parliamentary Constituency. Mr Digamber Kamat was baptised into politics by late Mr Babu Naik so also was Mr Shantaram Naik Desai of Cuncolim settled in Margao for the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Presidentship and later MP Mormugao Parliamentary Constituency when Mr Eduardo Faleiro fell out of grace. Mr Uday Bhembre (Advocate) too did a brief stint as an Independent when voters opted to send home Mr Babu Naik for grooming his son Mr Panudrang (Bhai) Naik in to his shoes. Pre bye-election it was MLA DIGAMBER KAMAT the MLA of Margao and the others were Navelim LUIZINHO FALEIRO Benaulim FRANCISCO (MICKEY) PACHECO Velim ex MLA FILIPE NERI RODRIGUES Cuncolim JOAQUIM ALEMAO Curtorim FRANCISCO SARDINHA (BRAHMIN) Mr Kamat while in the BJP made a pretence that he religiously practiced and preached the BJP ideology though clandestinely he maintained a very good equation with these MLAs through his trusted followers and above all was responsive to the demands of the voters of these constituencies as well. His astute shrewdness and cunningness being his personal trait (betrayals have been history) also came handy which earned him the "de facto" Dy Chief Minister status and got him plum postings of Urban development ( all 13 Municipalities and Power (without which industry cannot flourish) In short he maintained a secular face even while doning the BJP "avtar" or "garb" The dominant Hindu Saraswat Hindu Brahmin community will be the deciding factor for the success or down fall of Mr Digamber Kamat or Mr Sharmad Raiturkar and once the dye has been cast ---by "word of mouth " they can tune the others (Hindu Bahujan Samaj non Brahmins) and migrants to fall in line. It is only the Catholics who are allergic to the BJP and therefore this time round there is no harping during campaign in this constituency on the ---"secular" "communal" stands of the INC or BJP it is just who can "development of Margao" Given the above stakes it needs to be seen how the unpredictable Hindu Saraswat Brahmins will decide (despite their presence at all public meets and their preferences) whether a) to teach a lesson to Mr Digamber Kamat --- for his unacceptable "suffocating" excuse (he claimed he was feeling suffocated in the BJP)while defecting to his parent cadre the INC and aborting the 51 month old Manohar Parrikar government that brought about stability and development this first decade of the 21st century and give him a well deserved penance -- defeat---- for two years (until term end June 2007) thereby allowing Sharmad Raiturkar to " understudy during the two year term and eventually groom up for the position of "KING OF SALCETE" or b) pardon his misdemeanour and re-elect a repentant Mr Digamber Kamat to continue as the undisputed "KING OF SALCETE" The political scenario at the centre with the Congress led coalition United Progressive Alliance completing one year in office on 22 May 2005, and assurance of continued support by the Communists until term end ( 2004 - 2009 )will also have a close bearing on the final verdict ie on who will rule the Government in Goa. However what is also bugging a section of the INC politicians and giving them sleepless nights is whether the "offer of CM post " will remain Mr Kamats demand post bye elections or whether he will compromise for earlier portfolios he held pre-2000 (24 October 2004 the BJP government technically took over the treasury benches) Therefore the undercurrents could also see a section of INC man preferring the Margao seat going off to the BJP, for they dont really need all the five seats at stake to come to power. GODFREY J I GONSALVES' BORDA MARGAO GOA [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? 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