This time, Salcete taluka becomes bellwether for opposition’s future

Margao: Salcete has long been BJP’s Achilles heel in Goa, a taluka where the saffron party has struggled to make inroads despite its dominance elsewhere in the state. The voter behaviour in Salcete’s nine zilla panchayat seats — Raia, Nuvem, Colva, Benaulim, Davorlim, Velim, Curtorim, Guirdolim, and Navelim — will decisively shape the outcome of the election for the South Goa zilla panchayat.

Altogether, 42 candidates are vying for the nine seats of Salcete. While BJP has traditionally found little purchase here, AAP has successfully established a foothold with two MLAs representing Velim and Benaulim. This has transformed what was a Congress stronghold until recently into a multi-cornered contest, and in effect, a litmus test for the opposition to mount a credible challenge against BJP’s dominance.

Congress, which is contesting this election unitedly with GFP, is vying for eight seats in Salcete, while GFP has been allocated one. However, the failure to build a wider opposition coalition has left many voters disappointed. “A grand alliance was essential for these ZP elections. It would have helped build trust between all opposition parties in time for the 2027 assembly elections,” said Anthony Fernandes, a voter from Benaulim. “The way things stand now, the vote split will only help BJP even though there’s strong anti-BJP sentiment here.”


The alliance comes at a crucial juncture for both parties. Congress, which secured only three seats in 2020 - Velim, Curtorim, and Nuvem - is looking to build on its improved showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. For the party, which lost eight MLAs to BJP within a year of the 2022 assembly elections, Salcete represents a test of whether it can rebuild its base in traditional strongholds.

But the party faces internal dissent over the selection of candidates in some constituencies. For instance, in Davorlim, Congress workers have openly voiced their disappointment, alleging that the party ticket was given to someone who backed BJP until recently. “We have 15,000 Congress voters in Navelim based on the Lok Sabha results. These voters are now confused and our workers are demoralised,” said a Congress worker. “We wanted hardcore Congress workers to get tickets, but our appeals were rejected.”

Meanwhile, AAP appears to have gained ground through sustained campaigning. The party, which created history by winning Benaulim in the 2020 ZP polls and then secured both Benaulim and Velim assembly seats in 2022, has been working on the ground for months. “AAP workers have been active in our area long before other parties started their campaigns. That early presence matters,” said Maria Colaco, a voter from Velim.
Political observers said that AAP’s belligerent presence on the ground and Arvind Kejriwal’s recent campaign appearances have made an impact. “AAP leaders have worked hard to convince voters that they are the genuine alternative. Kejriwal’s meetings ahead of polling day appear to have swayed a considerable number of fence-sitters towards AAP,” said a political analyst tracking the polls.

AAP is hoping to retain Benaulim, where sitting ZP member Joseph Pimenta faces a multi-cornered contest, while making gains in Colva, Nuvem, and Velim.

BJP, aware of its limited appeal in the region, is contesting only three seats and is backing select independents instead in the rest. However, the party is fighting hard to retain Davorlim and Guirdolim, both won in 2020 thanks to fragmented opposition votes. RG is contesting four seats.


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