How Fatorda politics shaped former MLA Damu’s path to BJP leadership

Banners congratulating newly-elected BJP State President Damu Naik have come up in Fatorda and outside during the weekend.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO
Politics, many say is dynamic and not static, as it changes constantly with the changing times. What further matters in politics and for the political parties is the sheer number game in government formation.

None other than the very man, now crowned as the State BJP president, was once forced to lie low and go into virtual hibernation by the leadership post-March 11, 2017 when former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar retuned back to form the government with the support of Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai in 2017.

Consider this. As congratulatory banners came up across Fatorda and neighbouring areas after the former Fatorda MLA Damu Naik was formally elected the BJP State president during the weekend, political observers recalled how the newly elected BJP president had to face humiliation in his fiefdom from a section of party leadership, literally forcing him to lie low in Fatorda with the party government surviving on the crutches of the Goa Forward Legislators.

If sources are to be believed, Damu Naik was virtually forced to tone down party work in Fatorda least his activities leave the Goa Forward party chief antagonised. Sources recalled how Damu was asked to scale down his activities in Fatorda post-March 11, 2017, not even being allowed to put up banners wishing the people on festive occasions due to the prevailing coalition compulsions.

In fact, with the Manohar Parrikar-Vijai Sardesai duo playing “bhai-bhai” tunes, as they gelled well in the political scheme of things, questions were raised in Fatorda political circles over Damu’s political future as he was pushed to the background by the party leadership.

For, the  BJP-Goa Forward alliance ruling the State under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar was going strong with each passing day, with questions raised in political circles how the BJP rank and file, with a significant presence in Fatorda, having twice won the seat, will go about the party work in the constituency.

Sources close to the State BJP president pointed out that Damu returned back in action only after the unceremonious exit of the Goa Forward Ministers, including Vijai Sardesai, who was then enjoying the position of deputy Chief Minister in the Pramod Sawant dispensation in 2019.

Since then, it was no turning back for Team Damu as they went about the party work systematically in Fatorda once again, making his presence felt across the constituency during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide relief to people.

On the political front, Damu went about stitching caste equations in Fatorda in a bid to capitalise on the negative sentiments against the Goa Forward chief for propping up the BJP government in 2017 as he set his eyes on the 2021 Margao Municipal polls. His social engineering experiment with the significant Scheduled Tribes spread across Fatorda countryside helped him to win a couple of seats in the 2021 Municipal polls. The BJP’s surge in Fatorda, however, could not help the Lotus bloom in the Margao Municipal Council after the party failed to get the much-needed seats from the Margao Municipal area.

Damu’s strong bid to return back to the Assembly in the 2022 election, however, came a cropper, as he faced his third successive defeat at the hands of Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai, but not before giving a scare to his arch political rival.

MARGAO: Newly-elected BJP State President Damu Naik might have set the party agenda to win 27 seats in the 2027 Assembly election soon after assuming office during the weekend.

The 2027 Assembly election is still two years away, and it’s still unknown whether he would once again cross swords against arch political rival Vijai Sardesai in 2027. The newly-elected party chief, however, has a task cut out on his home turf – to get the magic figure of 14-15 seats in the 2026 Municipal polls for the Margao civic body.

The task may not be difficult for the new BJP chief considering that Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has returned back to the BJP fold after 17-long years, paving the way for the Lotus to bloom in the Margao Municipal Council since September 2022.

With Damu and Digambar in the same party after 17 years, the saffron party is expected to go all out to retain power in the civic body before gearing up for the 2027 Assembly election.

Minus Digambar, the saffron party had literally struggled to win the much-needed municipal seats to form the Council in the last 17 years. No doubt, the saffron surge in Fatorda in the 2021 Municipal polls under the leadership of Damu Naik helped the party to pocket a couple of seats from Vijai Sardesai’s fiefdom, but the impressive performance fell short of forming the Council after the party failed to get the much-needed seats from the Margao Municipal area.

Sources say none other than the BJP State president knows for sure how crucial is the 2026 Margao civic polls for the saffron brigade, more so after the BJP has not won a single election for the civic body since the 2000 election.