Remembering Aquino Braganca (b. 6 April 1924), who fought for freedom
of the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. An online tribute
http://aquinobraganca.wordpress.com/ (includes many historical
references, some photographs and documents)
Psephology and the election connection
Of geniuses and left leaders gone berserk with strange
alignments
By Mario Cabral e Sa
mariocabra...@yahoo.co.in
Welcome to Goa Shri. M. K. Sharma, whoever you are. Welcome
to the land of Abbé Faria the discoverer of scientific
hypnotism. Stay here for a while at any of the luxury hotels
in Cavelossim as a guest of your protégé Churchill Alemao.
He has the clout to get you a complimentary VVIP suite with
all the goodies thrown in. And maybe you will get the hang of
what hypnotism is about. It is a science, not just a cheap
trick which you tried to play and failed the other day at
Churchill-bab's 4000-strong meeting in Margao.
Sharma-ji, the Congress ticket had been given long before you
set yourself on the mission of fooling the South Goa voters
assuring them, in your capacity as political adviser to
Madam Sonia-ji, that Valanka-baby stood an excellent chance
of getting the Hand symbol.
Right now, Sharma-ji Churchill-bab, is in dire straits. If
you remember Mickky Pacheco, the enfant terrible of Goan
politics had filed a disqualification petition against
Churchill Alemao and Reginaldo Lourenço on the ground that
their mother party Save Goa Front had not been legally merged
and no longer continued to exist.
Mickky Pacheco's disqualification petition is before Speaker
Pratapsing Rane who has proved, time and again, that he knows
the rules even better than some Supreme Court judges.
The Election Commission's decision on the dicey issue of
SGF's existence is clear as daylight. Neither was the alleged
merger of SGF in INC legally formalised nor is SGF's status
clear. If the reader remembers, two SGF members Anton Gaoncar
and Raul Pereira claimed that they were the leaders of what
of SGF still remained. Pereira had claimed that Gauncar's
membership stood terminated while Gauncar was sure that as
the vice president of SGF at the time of Churchill's exit
(Churchill was then the president) he was the legal heir to
the top post.
The EC's decision negates Pereira's claim but has demanded to
know from Gauncar why the party should not forfeit its
recognition as a state party.
Churchill has claimed that daughter Valanka has an
invitation from Mayawati for a ticket from her
party. If she accepts it, why not? The more the
merrier is the flavour of the ongoing election
campaign.
Some drop by the wayside, like Sanjay Dutt, some have
rebelled against their mother-party, and there is Varun
Gandhi whose future remains unsure. He has been slapped with
charges under NSA, which, on the face of it, the young brat
invited upon himself. He has said that he is proud of the
Gandhi name he wears, clearly hinting that he is his father's
son. That is an uncontestable truth except that father Sanjay
committed unspeakable excesses to consolidate himself as the
Congress supremo ready to take on mother Indira Gandhi's
mantle. At the time, Maneka, his mother was just 18 and her
immaturity showed in Surya, the scandal magazine she edited
and eventually sold to the BJP.
Babu Jagjivam Ram, who had run foul of her 'saas' was one of
her targets. Sting operations were then not the fashion, but
Jagjivam's son was a moron who loved to get himself
photographed while frolicking with his girlfriend. Maneka got
hold of a set of photos and splashed them in her Surya. It
was, Maneka later claimed, a scoop. But, the truth be said,
the magazine sold very well. She was a faithful acolyte of
her boisterous and tyrannical husband.
She has matured since. Didn't you see her on your telly,
palloo covering her head, modesty personified, warning the
Samajvadi and INC parties that they would be solely
responsible if anything happens to the boy, who, she
indignantly says, is being lynched by the media for the
contents of a doctored CD of his vitriolic attack on the
Muslims.
But let us get back to Elections09, the great reality show
now on TV channels, all of them, national and state, English
and vernacular: pre-poll projections and prospects.
Not that I go by the pre-poll predictions by TV channels,
print media, and experts. They have nothing to lose,
certainly not their reputation because, election after
election, they end up explaining away their wrong predictions
with what they call marginal last minute swings.
India's first highly rated psephologist was our
gaunvbao Eric P. W. da Costa who was a brilliant
alumni of the London School of Economy and whose
advice on economic matters was at times availed of
by
