Although the Aam Aadmi Party stormed Punjab sweeping aside all Opposition in the recently held Assembly election, the saffron surge seen in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa helped the BJP consolidate its power bases in these states.    

Yet, the results of elections 2022 in Goa came as a damp squib considering that the ‘assumed’ outcome which was hotly debated by drawing room critics after the elections failed to come anywhere near the final picture. 

If one goes by numbers, the BJP bettered its 2017 tally which enables it to get into parleys with ‘associates’ to form the next government in the state without any threat of ‘hijacks’ by Opposition coalitions, if at all there are any. 

However, if, for a moment, we are to take our minds away from the changing fortunes of stalwarts from various parties who bounced back into reckoning after an assured political anonymity beckoned them and the gambles that cost many others their seats, it is the poll-exploits of the fledglings in the Goan political landscape which needs to be analysed for its worth. 

The Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) was a revelation by itself. As a party that does not hesitate to grandstand if only to make its agendas clear, the RGP deserves a pat for driving home their points rather decisively. 

Brushed aside as a brash collection of brats, the party held nothing more than a nuisance value for the more established giants in the field. If ever there was a David to take on the might of Goliath in a battle of ballots, the young and untried band of youngsters gave their more seasoned seniors a run for their money. 

And what a stupendous performance it was – a legislator in its very first electoral outing and unbelievingly close fights in many other constituencies that belied the party’s ‘greenhorn’ credentials! 

With a plethora of leaders and parties intending to get a firm foothold in the political scenario in the state, a major turnaround in the current situation by a motely gang of lads eager to revive the long-lost pride in their land’s unique identity was inconceivable.

But this is what the party has managed to do. Appealing to the conscience of the people, it has rekindled their passion for the land of their ancestors. 

Three scores and a year later, the present day Goan has much to answer for and account to generations of the past and the future. 

The joys of the hard-earned liberation from colonial yoke have today transcended into utter disappointment in a system which has only had parochial interests of its leaders guiding the destiny of the state over the past few decades.  

Has the RGP managed to tug at the heartstrings of the locals who have been mute witness to the gradual sinking of their beloved state into abysmal depths of depravity and where it continues to languish.

So when an organization of youth suddenly bursts into the scene determined to regain the lost glory of their state, they will definitely turn some heads. Moreover, RGP’s decision to get to the roots of the problem where Goans have been made to feel strangers in their own land is for all intents and purposes a valiant attempt to salvage the lost pride. 

Further, the fact that the party has not had to depend on the ‘split in votes’ that has produced many unlikely winners this time speaks for the attention the RGP has earned itself.

All along, the need to have a regional party to address the issues of Goans at the local level has been a dream long-cherished. But most often with dispensations mooted with this very idea pandering to the selfish motives of vested interests, they have soon lost all relevance. 

The Revolutionary Goans Party which comes through as an organization of youngsters committee to a cause does raise visions of filling this vacuum. 

Having entered the mainstream politics in the state, it would however be difficult for them to remain apolitical. Due care would have to be taken to ensure that the usual machinations that describe politics in the state today does not corrode their beliefs and values thus tainting their credentials. 

Already it is being said that the RGP emulated Raj Thackeray-led MNS’s 2009 poll debut to help BJP retain Goa. 

As a party that is a strong advocate of anti-migrant policies and the ‘son-of-the -soil agenda’, it now becomes essential that the RGP tones down its stand to accommodate a more congenial view of the whole proceedings.

Migrants are an essential part of Goan existence now. The corona times made that more than obvious! It is now up to the youngsters to take a balanced view of the prevalent equation vis-à-vis the migrant influx and ensure that the interests of the locals are not compromised with.

The RGP cannot afford to tread the chauvinistic ways of some of the regional parties that readily subscribe to hate-policies as an important attribute of its very being.   

First and foremost, the RGP has to ensure itself a long innings in Goan politics. It should be a gradual blossoming of the party with deep understanding of the issues that assail the locals which will endear it to the local population.

The ensuing local body elections could well prove to be a litmus test for the RGP. It has to participate in it to keep its presence alive and intact. 

Moreover, as compared to Assembly elections where the whole constituency is involved in the election process; the panchayat polls being limited to wards, there will be more of local presence and the density of migrant population would be negligible. The results could well indicate the level of ‘local acceptance’ of the RGP. 

In any case, the RGP has embarked upon a mission and taking the political path could well be their means to attain the end. 

But on the pleasant side, it is the Goan voter who has come of age. In sharp contrast to the indecisive regimes of the past, the people of Goa have spoken decisively. 

The clear mandate to BJP has laid to rest unnecessary speculations on government formation this time.