'Unconventional' candidates liven Goa polls By Shiv Kumar, Indo-Asian News Service
Panaji (Goa), May 26 (IANS) After years of funding politicians, Goan mining magnate Anil Salgaoncar decided to plunge into the election battle himself. "Over the years, I have spent enormous amounts of money on politicians of different parties who have done nothing for the mining industry," says Salgaoncar, head of Goa's biggest mining company and a candidate in Sanvordem, a rural area where he has his mines. Salgaoncar is one of 15 "unconventional" candidates in the race for the 40-seat Goa assembly that goes to the polls Thursday. The others include a beer baron, a singer, a recruiting agent who has sent scores for jobs in the Middle East, alleged operators of illegal gambling parlours, moneylenders and builders. Most of these candidates are contesting as independents. The regional United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) are backing some of them. Beer baton Monte Cruz is making a comeback in politics after 10 years. The break was well spent consolidating his Belo brand of beer and obtaining a bottling deal with United Breweries. Contesting under the UGDP-MGP banner, Cruz hopes to defeat the incumbent Congress legislator Luis Alex Cardoz. "All the boys in the area are working for me," says Cruz, who is plying his dedicated ban of 200 campaign workers with chicken biryani and Belo beer. In the same constituency singer Ulhas Buyao is entertaining the voters with spoofs on Goa's leading politicians. Like Salgaoncar, Buyao says: "I had backed several politicians in Goa, but am now I'm contesting for myself." Recruiting agent Mickey Pachecho is using his business clout to the hilt in the campaign. Due to his formidable reputation acquired by sending hundreds of youths to the Gulf and the West for jobs, young people are flocking to his election meetings at Benaulim in south Goa. At his street corner meetings, the proceedings are sober. Only the hundreds of T-shirts distributed among voters thronging the meetings indicate the kind of money Pachecho -- who is taking on veteran politician Churchill Alemao -- has poured into the campaign. Campaigning has turned aggressive, with many candidates plying voters with food, drink and freebies. In a state where bars dot the landscape, watering holes in various constituencies have been earmarked exclusively for workers of different political parties. "Some nights there is no beer available anywhere in parts of Goa," says a bar owner from Margao town, Goa's main business area. One candidate reportedly gave away 25 motorcycles in a constituency with less than 25,000 voters. A big landlord with enormous muscle at his disposal has been accused of distributing hundreds of mobile phones in his constituency. Another builder is reported to have repaired the houses of voters. Though every candidate can spend only Rs.300,000 on the elections by law, the limit is easily exceeded. "Though there have always been such candidates, this is the first time so many of them are spending so much to make an impact," says a police officer. But Election Commission officials say they have not noticed any candidate exceeding the spending limit. The main battle in this tiny coastal state of 1.3 million people is, however, between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress. There are 210 candidates in the fray for the 40 seats. --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
