Goa assembly election results 2012: Post-poll analysis

Panaji, Mar 6: The March 3, 2012 polling recorded the highest turnout with 82.2 percent voters exercising their franchise. Proving the traditional belief that big voter turn out means vote for change, Goa's latest mandate had dethroned the ruling Congress government and let the BJP to take over the business at office.

The vote counting on Tuesday, Mar 6 has paved way for a new leadership in the tourism state. In Goa, BJP emerged as the single largest party to take over the office from sitting Congress Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. Mr Manohar Parrikar will be the next Chief Minister of Goa. [Read: Assembly election 2012 'in focus']

The corruption charges against Congress has had its share of cascading effects in the latest Assembly polls across the five states. However, Manipur's stay with the age-old national party is a matter for it to find some solace.

This 2012 Assembly election results came off conversely to Congress' prediction. If we look back at Congress record in last Goa assembly election, it had just won 16 seats, and NCP won 3 seats in the 40-member Assembly house.

The Congress had failed to garner a simple majority of 21 seats, however, with the help of two seats from others, it formed the government in 2007.

But this time, the five-years of "mis"-governance from the Congress government urged the Goan people to look out for a change.

The BJP rode to victory in Goa polls by an anti-incumbency wave. The party which only secured 14 of 40 seats last time, in 2012 has bagged 20 seats. With its ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the total number of seats sum up to 23, attaining a clear majority to form the government without any crunch. Where as Congress and allies had just won 9 seats.

The BJP has just not crashed the Congress' equations, but also of independent and not-so-prominent political parties in Goa. The last assembly election inflicted a range of uncertainty allowing the small players to decide on the formation of government.

However, the BJP's steady victory along with its alliance would have taken independent parties by storm.

The Congress party, that has seen better days in recent years, has exhibited its inefficiency in reaching out to the masses and to influence people at the grass root level.

Post mid-2010, the nation saw a number of ministers being booked and sent to jails for the corruption charges. Unfortunately, most of them were from UPA government. A series of scams that was exposed billing crores of losses to the national exchequer promoted an anti-graft spirit across the nation.

Experts believed that very moderate electors consider corruption as an issue before they cast their support on ballot paper.

But this time, that was not the case, for instance, last year's assembly elections in Tamil Nadu resulted in a big political debacle for the ruling DMK, following the controversies related to the 2G spectrum. In recent years, people have taken corruption as a serious matter and brought changes in ruling regime.

The change in Goa has come on the same lines, as there was a perception that the national party has led the state to nowhere. Meanwhile, graft problems, from illegal mining to high-level corruption in the state has had its share to this debacle.

However, the anti-incumbency sentiment has turned into votes for BJP that has helped them to form the government in Goa. But remember, in no time the same sentiments can envelope the BJP party as well, if the party fails to bring the change that people are anticipating.

Will the BJP insulate itself from this anti-incumbency heat? It all goes on how it heads the state.

OneIndia News