Appointment as South Goa party chief signals party's concerted effort to boost support ahead of key elections in State
BJP Chief Sadanand Tanavade and CM Pramod Sawant congratulate Prabhakar Gaonkar for being elected South Goa party president.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MARGAO
BJP’s nod for Prabhakar Gaonkar’s election as the party South Goa district chief is being viewed in political circles as the ruling party’s outreach to the significant Scheduled Tribes community, mostly spread across the hinterland talukas of Canacona, Quepem, Dharbandora, Sanguem, and Ponda.
The move is seen as an attempt by the ruling party to further strengthen and consolidate the party's ST base, especially in South Goa, and appears significant, more so when the Bill providing for political reservations for the Scheduled Tribes in the Goa Legislative Assembly comes up for consideration in the next Parliament session. Once approved, the Bill will provide reservations for four seats to the STs in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
That’s not all. Prabhakar’s election comes close on the heels of the BJP leadership nominating ST leader Sanjana Velip to head the South Goa Zilla Panchayat body as its Chairperson.
In fact, with the ST Reservation Bill expected to get a Parliament nod in the next session, paving the way for the reservation of four seats to the ST communities in the Goa Legislative Assembly, political observers say Prabhakar’s election as the BJP district Chief is a clear attempt by the saffron party to give a big ST push, especially in South Goa, which has a significant ST presence.
Take note, the Scheduled Tribes community has been traditionally aligned with the BJP over the years, as evident by the fact that the three ST community MLAs, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, Sports Minister Govind Gawde, and Ganesh Gaonkar, all belong to the BJP.
Sources, however, say the election of Sanjana Velip as the South Goa ZP Chairperson, followed by the election of district Party Chief Prabhakar Gaonkar, is seen as an attempt to further strengthen the party base amongst the STs, more so after the party had to face questions and brickbats in certain quarters over the issue of political reservations snowballing into a major movement ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, especially in the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency.
'The Goan' understands there was no dearth of candidates before the BJP leadership to take over the reins of the South district president’s position. It is learnt the party had the option of zeroing in on a former Mormugao Municipal Chairperson and a party leader from Margao to head the post, but the fact that the party opted for an ST candidate goes to show the party’s bid for an outreach to the Scheduled Tribes.
Says a political observer: “The demand for political reservation is expected to be realised this year. Like in 2003 when the BJP government was instrumental in notifying the three communities of Gawdas, Velips, and Kunbis as STs, the BJP is expected to make capital out of the decision, first in the Zilla Panchayat polls scheduled in November this year, and then in the 2027 Assembly election.”
BJP continues to woo Christian tribal voters
In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant virtually hopped from one ST-dominated village to another in Christian-dominated Salcete in an apparent bid to woo the voters towards the saffron brigade, but in vain.
That, however, has not stopped the party leadership from nominating party ST leader Anthony Barbosa to the Tiatr Academy of Goa as its president. Call it a coincidence or not, Barbosa’s appointment as TAG president is viewed in political circles as an attempt to woo the Christian tribal communities on its side.
The Christian Scheduled Tribes are spread across almost six out of the eight Assembly seats in Salcete, with a sizeable concentration in Curtorim, Nuvem, Velim, Navelim, besides Fatorda, etc.
