In Goa the overwhelming public sentiment on Tuesday was: “Don’t take our intelligence for granted.”
As news started coming of Congress heavyweights falling one by one by the wayside, the feeling on the streets of Panaji was one of profound relief and a sense of achievement at ending the rule of a party whose leaders had been accused of systematically plundering the state for personal financial gains.
At the end of the day, the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP-Maharashtra Gomantak Paksha combine won by a landslide, bagging 24 of the 40 seats. The Congress-NCP alliance could, meanwhile, only muster nine seats all of which were the Congress’ and none for the NCP. The Trinamul Congress, which put up contestants in 22 seats, could not open their account.
For the Congress in Goa it was a humiliating defeat with the people voting against corruption and family raj. The party stalwarts who lost include Mr Ra-vi Naik (home minister), Mr Churchill Ale-mao (PWD minister), Mr Joaquim Alemao (urban development minister), Mr Agnelo Fernandes (MLA of Calangute), Mr Daya-nand Narvekar (former deputy CM, former BCCI vice-president and MLA of Aldona).