Daijiworld Media Network - Margao

Margao, Dec 14: With exactly a week left for polling in the December 20 Zilla Panchayat elections, the political temperature in Salcete has risen sharply, with nine seats up for grabs and a multi-cornered contest throwing up crucial questions for all major parties.

The Congress, which has traditionally considered Salcete its bastion, is eyeing a comeback by building on its improved performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party is contesting eight of the nine seats, having ceded Raia to alliance partner Goa Forward Party under their tie-up. In the 2020 ZP polls, the Congress had managed to win only three seats — Velim, Curtorim and Nuvem — and is now aiming for a significant improvement to secure a majority in the South Goa Zilla Panchayat.

The BJP, meanwhile, is going all out to retain the two seats it won in the 2020 elections — Davorlim and Guirdolim. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has personally launched the party’s campaign in these constituencies, underlining their importance for the ruling party. With both areas having a sizeable minority population, the BJP leadership is aware that any consolidation of non-BJP votes could prove costly, especially after the party’s earlier success in 2020 was aided by a split in the opposition vote.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which opened its Zilla Panchayat account in Goa from Benaulim in 2020, is seeking to defend its base and expand further. AAP is keen to retain Benaulim, where its sitting ZP member Joseph Pimenta is locked in a tough contest, while also making strong bids in Colva, Nuvem and Velim. The party’s campaign has received a boost with national convener Arvind Kejriwal campaigning for its candidates.

The Goa Forward Party is also under the spotlight as it attempts to expand its footprint in Salcete. Under the Congress-GFP alliance, the regional party has been allotted the Raia seat, covering Raia, Rachol, Camurlim and Loutolim. The contest there is six-cornered, with strong challenges from AAP, the Revolutionary Goans Party and influential local families that have dominated the seat for decades.

The Revolutionary Goans Party, which made a strong impression in Salcete during the 2022 Assembly elections, is contesting four seats, while the NCP has fielded three candidates. The NCP had won Colva in the 2020 ZP polls when former minister Churchill Alemao was with the party.

Independents are also emerging as key players in several constituencies. Former South Goa Zilla Panchayat chairpersons Nelly Rodrigues in Colva and Maria Rebello in Benaulim, along with Velim candidate Frank Viegas, are drawing significant attention. Viegas, the current sarpanch of Chinchinim and president of the Goan Seamen Association of India, is seen as a strong contender.

As campaigning enters its final phase, Salcete is poised for an intense electoral battle, with every seat likely to be decided by narrow margins.