Glimpses of victory day in Panaji, a photo essay…

SWEEPING VICTORY FOR BJP-MONSERRATE’S ‘TOGETHER FOR PROGRESSIVE PANEL’ WHICH WON 25 OUT OF 30 WARDS IN THE CCP 2021 ELECTION: Posing with Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate are Yuvraj Fernandes (ward 2), Rohit Monserrate (3), Carolina Po (4), Shubhada Shirgaonkar (5), Bento Francis Lorena (7), Prasad Prakash Amonkar (10), Karan Yatin Parekh (11), Varsha Hari Shetye (12), Pramay Mainkar (13), Uday Madkaikar (14), Shayani Sharad Chopdekar (15), Asmita Sandesh Kerkar (16), Dennis Edward Francis Jorge (17), Aditi Gajanan Chopdekar (18), Narsinvha Morajkar (19), Shubham Chodankar (20), Manisha Manerkar (21), Diksha Mainkar (22), Pranjal Naik (24), Sanjeev Naik (25), Vasant Agshikar (26), Lorraine Dias (27), Vithal Dayanand Chopdekar (28), Silvestre Fernandes (29), Sandra da Cunha (30).

By Our Special Correspondent

IT was a BJP-Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate win on D-Day, Saturday morning, March 20, 2021. Outside the Pharmacy College on 18 June Road where the electronic counting was going a large group of candidates, their agents, family and friends, as also media people and observers, had gathered. To catch the scenes of tearful excitement, unexpected defeat … as one by the names of winners were announced and paparazzi rushed to click photographs as winners emerged and losers left quietly.

Within an hour it became clear that it was going to be yet another Monserrate victory, this time 25 times out of 30! Five wards lost to the Ami Panjikars but that was small fry now and the signal went for the victors to get busy congratulating one another, their well-wishers garlanding them with red and yellow marigolds…smiles all around, bursts of fire crackers, hugs and handshakes, jubiliation galore. Chatter all around about what worked and what didn’t.

So much grist for the political mill as Big Boss Babush Monserrate arrived to be feted and toasted for ensuring yet another election victory. Undoubtedly, he is the man behind the big victory! He was all smiles as he said only a humble servant of the party and thanked his candidates and their agents for the win.

For a week counting down to polling day on Sunday it had been rounds of hectic campaigning by both the BJP-Babush panel and the Ami Panjikar panel. Finally, it was over and after the final exchange of chatter – with the women lending a touch of exuberant color to the scene (the Babush panel had fielded 10 women candidates, never before so many) – commenced the victor car parades through Panaji wards.

This victory was so predictable and certain that one Ami Panjikar candidate sighed in defeat and wished all election expenditure had been saved! Why waste money on elections? Might as well let selected candidates by the ruling BJP-Babush panel claim the spoils of power and pelf! If wishes were horses and all that left unsaid it was time to look back, look forward….altogether a total of 70.19 % voters exercised their right to vote in the State’s only municipal corporation, the lowest percentage in the total five municipal elections and one municipal corporation of capital city Panaji. According to State Election Commission details altogether 3,10,000 voters voted on this day taking both south and north Goa elections.