Inheriting a state dogged with issues, Pramod Sawant emerges unscathed, a year on

PANAJI: A week is a long time in politics, so a year should be a good time to judge what chief minister Pramod Sawant has done since assuming office on this day at 2am, last year.
The ayurvedic doctor-turned-politician had exceptionally big boots to fill. He was trying to fill the void left by Manohar Parrikar, Goa’s tallest politician, so it’s not really a surprise that Sawant chose to walk a different path.Knowing that the previous system was well entrenched under Parrikar, Sawant started his innings with a new set of bureaucrats, all handpicked by him. He reshuffled the bureaucracy, unsettling those close to his mentor, and for a while, there were allegations of de-Parrikarisation.
At every step, Sawant knew that his actions – or even the lack of them – would be compared to Parrikar. The former chief minister would micromanage almost everything, so Sawant had to be different. He’s been trying to do just that.
In politics, public perception matters more than anything else. Perhaps, the BJP managers have consciously tried to carve an independent image for Sawant; that he is simple, approachable, accessible, and one who is willing to take suggestions.
Sawant has tried to directly connect with the people, assuring them that major issues plaguing the state cannot be resolved in one year. That he needs time, and he would deliver as promised.
His well-cultivated image of a Bahujan samaj CM from a weaker economic section, is there for all to see, and seems to have struck a chord with the OBCs and tribals.
Politically, there’s little to complain. The start was challenging. He had to face bypolls and parliamentary elections within two months of taking over. Losing the bypolls would have invited criticism. He ensured his critics had nothing to complain about, winning four seats, although he lost the most prestigious seat of Panaji, which Parrikar had represented for the quarter of a century.
The bypoll results enhanced BJP’s strength in the house to 17, but he was still dependent on the allies – three members each from GFP, MGP and two independents. Realising that he would not have it easy as BJP didn’t have the numbers, he tried to increase the party’s strength in the assembly soon after taking over.
Sawant first clipped the wings of his deputy Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, got two of the three MGP MLAs – Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pauskar – in a midnight coup and then topped it all by convincing a 10-member Congress group to join BJP. From 13 MLAs in 2017, BJP had jumped to an astonishing 27.
He showed considerable guts too, quite unlike someone who was considered a ‘soft’ CM. He dropped two deputy CMs –Dhavalikar and Vijai Sardesai – besides two ministers from GFP to make room for new faces. In a new realignment of forces, Michael Lobo was inducted into the cabinet, along with four others.
With an unprecedented strength of 27 MLAs, it was expected that the Sawant government would take big strides. But it has not been easy, largely because he inherited several problems dogging the state - poor finances, the Mhadei water dispute, mining closure, opposition to the casinos, degrading environment and garbage management.
The Mhadei issue has hit him the most— that the Centre kept him in the dark while deciding on diversion of waters or writing a letter to the Karnataka CM, reflected his lack of clout, a political analyst said.
Financial management has been another concern; besides, there seems to be no sign of the jobs that unemployed youth were promised more than two years ago.
Sawant had to also face a lot of flak for issues like the potholed roads, perpetual traffic congestion along the Agasaim-Cortalim route, floods in several parts of the state and breakdown of main pipeline at Curti which led to an unprecedented water shortage in the state capital and surrounding areas for several days. The CM, though, stood tall and refused to budge during the taxi strike, even though some of his party colleagues lobbied hard for the taximen.
There is no doubt that Sawant is putting in long hours of work, at times, traversing from one end of the state to the other, but he would need to up his game and make some smart moves to show that he is making a difference.
Sawant’s elevation was welcomed by many during the first two months of his innings. Living up to that image, and those expectations, has been tough.