The stories behind Goa’s revolving doors

* 24: Of the 40 winners in 2017, 24 will be contesting from a different party or as Independents. These include the 12 (2 elected from MGP, 10 elected from Congress in 2017) who defected to the BJP in 2019.

* 9: In the current 40-member House, only 9 MLAs have been in the same party through at least two terms. Among them is Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who has risen in the BJP ranks through the RSS. Of these 9 MLAs too, 3 have changed parties this time. They include former CM Luizinho Faleiro and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco (from the Congress to the TMC and now Independent), and ex-minister Micheal Lobo (from the BJP to Congress).

* 4: Of the 10 Congress MLAs who joined it in 2019, the BJP has given tickets to 7. Of the 2 ex-MGP leaders, it has fielded 1. Of the 4 in all rejected, 1 (former minister Filipe Nery Rodrigues) is contesting on an NCP ticket now, and 3 (ex-Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes, former minister Deepak Pauskar and Wilfred D’sa) as Independents.

* Former Deputy CM Ramkrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar: Can earn the title of the most loyal MLA, having been in the same party (MGP) now through 5 wins and the coming contest. Goa’s oldest regional party, the MGP itself has moved around. Having supported the BJP twice to form governments, it is now in an alliance with TMC.

* Former CM Churchill Alemao: The Benaulim strongman has hopped the most number of parties, and once served 19 days in power in 2009 as the first Catholic CM of the state. Alemao’s stints include multiple outings with the Congress, two different regional fronts, NCP, and now the TMC.

* Former CM Luizinho Faleiro: Till he ended his 40-year association with the Congress this time, Faleiro held the distinction of having won the maximum MLA elections in Goa (7) without changing his party. He is now a Rajya Sabha MP from the TMC.

* Former CM Pratap Singh Rane: Goa’s longest-serving MLA and six-time CM, Rane began his journey with the MGP before moving to the Congress in the late 1970s. He has won 10 consecutive elections for the Congress since. However, his son and daughter-in-law are now with the BJP, and Rane, confirming the Congress’s worst fears, decided at the last moment not to contest.

* Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco: The three-time Congress MLA was in talks with AAP, resigned and joined the TMC in December, then quit the TMC, and is now contesting as an Independent.

Justice F I Rebello, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court who was elected as an MLA in 1977 from the Janata Dal, says the defections being seen in Goa are a typical problem with the smaller states. “The shift of two or three members can alter the scene of who rules or who does not rule… There is no commitment to any ideology. The BJP had ideology but even that is eroding now… The panch members and sarpanch all want to be MLAs and the MLAs want to be Chief Minister,” he says.

The small constituencies, smaller victory margins facilitate this, Rebello says. “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram came from Haryana but frankly, Goa is the biggest Aya Ram, Gaya Ram.”