VINEETA DEEPAK, Associated Press
GOA, India (AP). India’s undisputed tourist hotspot and the smallest state in the largest democracy in the world is voting Monday to elect a new administration with an eye toward restoring an economic system that was devastated by the pandemic as well as saving the environment from an uncontrolled real estate boom.
More than 1.1million voters in western Goa will decide who among the 319 contestants can save their fragile coastal land, which is being impacted by uncontrolled tourism.
It is one of five Indian States that will vote in phases in February or March. This is seen as a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party, ahead of general elections set for 2024. March 10th will bring the results.
Locals cannot afford to buy an apartment, a house, or a plot on land in Goa because the real estate market has soared. Atish Fernandes, who owns the Joseph Bar in capital Panjim, stated that the prices of Goa’s real estate have been driven sky-high by those who want to get a piece of this paradise.
Political Cartoons of World Leaders
Political Cartoons
Although the state has a population less than 2million, it hosted more than 8million tourists in 2019, just before the pandemic decimated restaurants and made thousands of people jobless. Many died last year from frequent interruptions in oxygen supplies at Goa Medical College COVID-19.
Although the tourism and travel industry is the lifeline of Goa’s economy, it is slowly recovering, not all jobs are back.
Goa has also become a popular second-home destination for India’s wealthy middle class, which is fueling frenetic building activity. Fernandes explained that land rights are a major issue in Goa because the new wealth is mostly generated from the sale or development of ancestral lands and brokerage to meet growing demand.
Modi presented his vision of a Golden Goa, with tourism and infrastructure as its foundations, to voters at a rally in Goa’s heart on Thursday. The Aam Aadmi Party, based in Delhi, and the opposition Congress both promise sustainable development, jobs, and a corrupt-free government. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress from West Bengal has plans to provide generous welfare programs for the unemployed.
The two most prominent regional parties joined the fray in an effort to realize their national ambitions.
For Goa’s fishermen and farmers, it is a way of life that has been in harmony for centuries with its lush green environment.
The state has seen intense political turmoil in the last few months. Popular candidates such as former chief ministers switched sides to secure nominations. Sometimes, loyalties were shifted between parties with opposing ideologies.
According to a report from the Association of Democratic Reforms, an independent group that works for electoral reforms, Goa has set a record.
The Congress party made its nominees pledge loyalty to ensure they don’t party-hop after the polls.
In just a few short weeks, each party has disgraced themselves by making a mockery their own stated platforms, Vivek Menezes, writer, wrote in Outlook weekly magazine.
Goa’s turbulent politics is a microcosm India’s chaotic political landscape. A diverse mix of religious, caste and ethnic identities shapes the elections.
Modi’s Hindu-first politics has alienated Muslims and other minorities, but the BJP has won two national elections. Its grip on power has been eroded by rising unemployment and a prolonged farmers’ protest that lasted a full year on the outskirts New Delhi.
Christians make up only 25% of Goa, a place that is often portrayed in Bollywood as a westernized enclave where foreign tourists party on sandy beaches and are dominated by historic Catholic churches. More than 66% Goans are Hindu.
Despite some controversy surrounding statements regarding rebuilding Hindu temples damaged by the Portuguese, the Hindu majoritarian agenda for the BJP had to accommodate the minority Christian community as it sought to win elections.
The BJP in Goa fielded 12 Catholic candidates in Monday’s election, while Congress nominated 17.
The narrow, winding streets of Panjim’s Fontainhas neighborhood are lined with Portuguese-style houses and bars. Fontainhas, a UNESCO World Heritage site is steeped into the colonial history Goa, a Portuguese-controlled territory, from 1961 to 1961.
The Joseph Bar is nestled between Fontainhass’ ancient buildings. Many regret the inevitable changes that free market brings, particularly in an economy where every third person works in tourism.
Fernandes said that local residents who are the stakeholders and vote here always look back at what they have and what they have lost. If you ask the average Goan what they want, he will tell you that he wants to live the same life he had 15-20 years ago.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not been published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.