In a state brimming with pressing governance issues, none registered for voters at ZP elections | Goa News

Margao: Even as rural Goa, across 50 constituencies, voted on Saturday, the campaign trail was conspicuous for what was missing—not a single issue proved substantial enough to become a rallying point for voters.Twenty-five lives were lost in the Arpora tragedy. A cash-for-jobs scam shook public trust. A rising crime graph with thefts, murders, and rapes continued unabated. Land grab cases and illegal conversion scams deepened public anxiety. These catastrophic happenings rattled tourists and locals alike. Yet, as political parties criss-crossed rural Goa seeking votes, these issues barely registered as talking points.What mattered instead was an elaborate calculus of political arithmetic. BJP allied with MGP, while leaving strategic space for independent candidates. Congress partnered with Goa Forward Party (GFP), fielding candidates in 36 and nine seats respectively. AAP went solo across 42 constituencies, while Revolutionary Goans (RGP) attempted to establish its footprint in 30 seats following a failed attempt at building a grand opposition alliance.Political observers concur that the focus was purely on seat-sharing negotiations aimed at political survival rather than on pressing issues of govt failures. “Chief minister Pramod Sawant speaks of devolving more powers to the zilla panchayats. That’s welcome, alright, but where is the conversation about safety, accountability, and justice?” asked a poll watcher.Political observers said that Congress’ failed attempt to forge a united front with all the opposition parties suggests that political positioning trumped issue-based campaigning. Lawyer and political commentator Radharao Gracias captured this opposition failure starkly in his Facebook post hours after the Arpora tragedy: “In the face of such a huge tragedy as the fire at Arpora, Congress is busy struggling to finalise its ZP candidates and has no time to react. Congress ought to have been on the streets exposing the failure of the govt resulting in the tragedy. When will Congress learn?”Gracias’ observation cuts to the heart of the matter. Instead of channelling public grief and anger into sustained pressure on govt, Congress frittered away a crucial moment when the ruling dispensation should have been put on the mat. This, observers said, has left a vacuum in Goa’s political discourse.