SUJAY GUPTA

sujay@herald-goa.com

MANDREM/SIOLIM: For more than six months a year and year after year, the world comes to Mandrem. For a fix of the surf and the sand and sometimes much more for a high that lasts the seasons. In a shack at Arambol, interestingly named ‘Shanti’, there’s peace in the belief that the world is just about this - caressing the sands as they flirt with the waves and let time pass by. Ask if anyone knows which constituency the shack falls in, the tourist, an Indian asks ‘What’s this constituency.”

Samir Salgaocar, doesn’t have time to watch the waves, though he would very much want his footsteps to be on the sands of time. From his plush existence in faraway Margao, his home, Mandrem is where his heart has been for four years.

A quiet man, his is an untold story of touching work in Mandrem where he has provided rations to 500 families for four years and hasn’t spoken about it. He still doesn’t by the way. At the street corner meeting at Pokhewado not far from the beachfront, a young woman gently chides him for not speaking up. As dusk settles, the meeting starts in a courtyard of a house. There are about 700 people of which more than 600 are ladies. It’s not what is said at the meeting which strikes you, but what happens after. As Salgaocar walks out an old lady, Mrs Shetgaokar holds his hand and then gently places it on his head. Another comes and looks at him, smiles and walks past. If smiles and blessings were votes, Yuvraj Vishwajit Rane has a lot to worry since his defector foot soldier Dayanand Sopte needs to win not for the Congress but Rane’s personal prestige.

Most of Vishwajit’s men are fighting to keep the royal Rane ego lubricated because these 8 seats in Rane territory are passports to Rane’s quest for total control of Goa. Samir for long has been a backroom congressman and was in the line for a party ticket from Mandrem, without much hope though. But Sopte was Crown Prince, Vishwajit’s man. Samir therefore joined the Trinamool Congress and is their star candidate.

This story is not about who wins or loses but how loyalty is fighting royalty (so what if they are called rebels). The truth is that there’s not everyone in Mandrem who are ready to bow to the self appointed crown prince of Satarri and beyond. Madhu Kerkar has been a veteran MGP torch bearer for years. Speaking at a corner meeting at Pokhewado, he said “We want someone who can work with us and for us. Big names have ruled here. But what have we got”. He was obviously referring to Ramakant Khalap for long controlled Mandrem, which was synonymous with MGP.

It’s a fight all right. Ask Sonali, Samir’s wife walking down the steep hill side slopes wearing the Trinamool Congress cap, leading a mini army of women going door to door. Or Appolon, a young local woman who speaks vociferously against family raj in all meetings. Vishwajit isn’t winning this easily. In fact he may well be surprised.

In neighbouring Siolim, the “royalty” is packaged in the form of Uday Palyekar, reportedly a former matka business owner, now a “respectable” businessman. While oratory is clearly not one of his strong points, he seems to have made inroads by helping people in the constituency including fishermen on the banks of the Chapora. But his real estate related companies-Saikaran real estates and Mahalakshmi developers rake in the moolah. The irony is stark though. Last week, while Palyekar and a handful of supporters were present at a corner meeting at the Tar junction before the bridge to Mandrem, the Congress’ most loyal soldier, Francis Fernandes, was returning home after his papers were scrutinised as an independent candidate. His home is a Congress library, with several photo albums of Congress functions and rallies. In fact there are very recent pictures of the Congress’ pre election padyatra of Francis, the Sarpanch of Sodiem village for 16 years, with all party leaders. A veteran actor on several Marathi plays – yes Marathi – Francis doesn’t quite understand the Congress’ political drama which has kept him out and pushed a political outsider to center stage. “When my wife contested on a Save Goa Front last time, I did not even campaign since I was a congressman. I always will be. I’m not a rebel. I am a hurt party soldier.”

As we drove away through the quaint roads of Sodiem, hugged by dense foliage, a poder pointed to his house, pumped his chest and gave a thumbs up sign. That’s a sure vote for Francis. All these little votes may not add to his victory, as yet, but every vote will be proof that family raj politics hurts your own family-the Congress family. (to be continued)