AAP's lavish campaign for Benaulim ZP elections raises eyebrows -- By Nisser Dias

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is pulling out all the stops to recapture the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat seat it lost due to disqualification. The sheer volume of money being poured into the five villages of the Benaulim constituency is alarming and raises serious questions about the party's ethics and priorities.

Local MLA Venzy Viegas seems obsessed with winning the seat, driven by his insatiable ego and dictatorial ways of functioning. In the villages of Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim, Varca, and Benaulim, the streets are flooded with people of all ages wearing yellow AAP t-shirts, aggressively canvassing door-to-door to distribute fliers and urging voters to back their candidate. The visual irony of the Indian Meteorological Department's yellow alert is starkly reflected in AAP's over-the-top campaign.

In Benaulim, even the elderly are being roped into this campaign. An 80-year-old was spotted in the early hours, struggling to distribute pamphlets glorifying Venzy Viegas’s past achievements and making hollow promises for the future.

There are allegations that each campaign volunteer is being paid Rs. 1,000 per day. This might explain the unusual sight of an octogenarian participating in the AAP roadshow. The question then arises: where has AAP suddenly sourced such substantial funds?

The Election Commission of India has set a spending limit of Rs. 5 lakhs per candidate. However, the AAP candidate's expenditure seems to have blown past this ceiling. Beyond the mass production of fliers and t-shirts emblazoned with the party's name and symbol, there is a conspicuous absence of the 'INDIA Alliance' branding on the jerseys, which raises further suspicions.

Has APP candidate for ZP liquidated all his assets just to win this inconsequential election, which has a mere one-and-a-half-year term? Are there benefactors generous enough to bankroll these exorbitant election expenses? Are hundreds of volunteers so captivated by a party whose top leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, are entangled in a liquor scam, that they abandon their daily lives to campaign? Is this lavish spending rooted in the alleged liquor-gate scandal?

These critical questions demand immediate answers. The extravagant spending and questionable tactics employed by AAP in this minor ZP election cast a long shadow over the party’s integrity and priorities.

It is imperative that the Election Commission and other relevant authorities scrutinize these expenditures and hold those responsible to account.

Venzy at the centre of controversy in Benaulim's zilla panchayat by-polls -- By Nisser Dias

ROYLA FERNANDES

The marathon Parliamentary elections have just concluded, and now a part of Benaulim's constituents are preparing for Zilla Panchayat by-elections. This Assembly segment played a crucial role in giving the highest lead to the INDIA Alliance Congress candidate Viriato Fernandes, effectively halting the BJP's progress.

It's widely acknowledged that Zilla Panchayats in Goa are largely symbolic and a financial burden on the exchequer. However, in Benaulim, the situation has become a matter of ego. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won these elections under fraudulent circumstances in 2022. This fraud was exposed by Royla Fernandes, whose petition led the Administrative Tribunal to the disqualification of Hanzel Fernandes. Thus, the first person to open the AAP's electoral account in Goa was disgraced and humbled.

Currently, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, whose victory is allegedly linked to the liquor-gate scam in Delhi, has put forward a sitting panchayat member and AAP member as the INDIA alliance candidate for the ZP elections. This by-election, imposed by AAP, because it involved a candidate who used a forged OBC certificate to contest. Should the AAP candidate win this time round too, the Orlim panchayat will face another election within months, further straining the exchequer to satisfy Viegas' ego.

Venzy claims that their candidate is an INDIA alliance nominee and demands action against Royla Fernandes, a Congress member. Although Royla resigned from the party before filing her candidacy, Venzy’s focus appears to be on self-interest rather than the broader goals of the alliance.

The INDIA alliance was formed to prevent Narendra Modi from securing an absolute majority, and this goal was achieved. However, Venzy's intentions for Benaulim remain questionable.

AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal has publicly stated that the INDIA alliance is not a permanent arrangement, as evidenced by AAP contesting elections independently in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. This inconsistency raises questions about the solidity of the alliance.

It's well known that Venzy Viegas initially opposed the INDIA alliance and preferred to field a candidate from his own party. His recent enthusiasm for the alliance appears to be a strategic move, given the strong support for Congress in Salcete. Benaulim constituents gave Viriato Fernandes the highest lead in parliamentary polls, and Venzy should not claim undue credit for this outcome. The votes were cast to keep the BJP at bay.

During Viriato's campaign, Venzy was more focused on building his own base in the constituency, possibly with an eye on the ZP elections or his re-election. Many panchayat members in Benaulim constituency are not on cordial terms with him, as Venzy tends to dominate them. These elected representatives have their own egos and ambitions, and Venzy's desire for blind followers clashes with their independence.

VENZY MARGINALIZES HANZEL

Venzy’s approach is evident in the group picture taken post-nomination, where Hanzel is marginalized in the corner. This image speaks volumes about Venzy's use, misuse, and discard approach towards his supporters.

In summary, the political landscape in Benaulim is fraught with controversy, power struggles, and allegations of fraud, raising serious concerns about the integrity and intentions of the key players involved.

Congress' win in south Goa: A modern echo of the historic 1967 Opinion Poll – By Nisser Dias

A SOLDIER prevailed over divisive BJP

The victory of South Goa Congress candidate Viriato Fernandes draws a compelling parallel to the historic Opinion Poll of 1967. While not an exact replica, there are striking similarities.

The decisive momentum for his victory over formidable BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo in the 2024 Parliamentary election shifted significantly in Salcete taluka, much like in the Opinion Poll.

Despite Dempo's backing from the ruling government, its machinery, and substantial financial resources from both the government and her industrial house, the people's power in Salcete countered her lead in 11 of the 20 assembly constituencies.

Viriato's victory gained momentum from key areas such as Nuvem, Curtorim, Fatorda, Benaulim, Navelim, Velim, and Cuncolim. However, Goa’s self proclaimed Godman and Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat, gave the BJP a minimal lead of 86 votes, which was more embarrassing than celebratory.

Similar to the anti-merger movement's success in Bardez and Tiswadi during the Opinion Poll, Viriato also led in Cortalim and Quepem. The BJP government, determined to secure both parliamentary seats in Goa, left no stone unturned. They employed their machinery, Christian ministers, MLAs, supporters, other parties, independent candidates, and financial power, even resorting to a slander campaign to derail the INDIA bloc campaign in South Goa. However, the Kargil soldier, Viriato, prevailed, and the BJP's efforts failed.

The support from Salcete's assembly segments was crucial in defeating the ideologically divisive party, but the voters in the rest of South Goa's assembly constituencies also played their part. The BJP's leads in other constituencies were minimal, indicating a clear message from the voters: dissatisfaction with the Modi government at the Centre and the Pramod Sawant government in Goa.

MODI Guarantee FAILED

Kudos to all the voters who cast their votes for Viriato and the Congress. Despite the BJP's efforts to dismantle and dismember the Congress' grassroots committees, freeze their accounts, and stop their financial flow, they couldn't prevent voters from choosing Congress.

Another takeaway from the South Goa election is the recurring responsibility of the people of Salcete, or Xaxtikars, to save whatever remains of Goa, once again drawing parallels to the historic Opinion Poll.