It is a roller coaster ride to be moving with United Goans Democratic Party candidate Matanhy Saldanha on his campaign trail given the fact that there are sudden changes in the prepared schedule as the polling date is fast drawing near, reports JULIO D’SILVA.
The day begins early for Matanhy who after his morning rituals and a healthy breakfast prepared by his wife Alina with great care but hurriedly gulped down, gets down to electioneering by calling up his lieutenants to go over the programme for the day and to check up on action taken with regards to earlier given tasks.
Although he was supposed to launch his padyatra in Margao market, frantic calls from supporters and well wishers, make him change his plan and he dashes off to Vasco to address four corner meetings within a span of 90 minutes.
“I have to be flexible to change the plans as my party does not have a real grass root level organization,” he concedes but is happy with the response his candidature has evoked not only in political circles, but even amongst the electorate.
The enthusiasm is palpable as one spends time with the candidate who keeps pointing out how Goa is being destroyed and thinks aloud of how the trend can be reversed.
While on his way to Margao, yet another telephone call forces a change in the plan. He is compelled to meet a political heavyweight - at least one who considers himself to be so - where a closed door meeting takes place for about half an hour.
As Matanhy is closeted with the politician, his driver gets harassed with persistent calls from the party president Dr Jorson Fernandes who is waiting for the candidate at the party office at Margao to go canvassing in the market area.
After a long delay of one-and-a-half hour, Matanhy makes it to the Margao office and has a quick confabulation with his president Dr Fernandes and munches upon a slice of the summer cooler - water melon.
Then it is back on the trail. Surrounded by a group of around 40 supporters that include the old and the young, men and women, the literate and the illiterate, Matanhy starts moving around Margao.
Starting from the shops below Gomant Vidya Niketan, he crosses over to the adjoining old bus stand and the shops by the side of State Bank of India and then crosses the Margao Municipal Council garden to canvass in the New Market area.
Shopkeepers and shoppers gave him such an enthusiastic response that even Dr Fernandes was surprised. “This is a good sign and it means that the loss of the traditional two leaves symbol will not affect us much,” he mused as people greeted Matanhy with “katol aili”.
Many middle class women who had come shopping were thrilled with the experience and some of them insisted on shaking hands with the candidate. “We support you because you are a good man” was the general refrain.
One shopper, Fatima Coutinho from Cuncolim, joined in the padyatra for some time. “We have to support such good candidates,” she said and prayed that God grants the wisdom to the people to elect a good man like him.
Original Goan women selling vegetables at Gandhi Market gave vent to their frustration by castigating the political class. “You remember us only at the time of elections and then you forget us,” they chorused.
However, Matanhy patiently explained to them that he was not in power and they agreed that it was the Congress that has taken them for a ride all these years. A fruit vendor from Borda admitted that the Congress Party workers provide alcohol to their men folk on the eve of elections and that is how they vote for that party. “This time however, we have decided not to vote for anybody,” she said.
But another lady, a vegetable vendor from Davorlim kept her options open and candidly admitted that she would decide whom to vote after weighing what she stood to gain.
Significantly, a badel roundly blamed the Congress for all their problems and if this was balm to the UGDP workers, the way they were greeted by the cloth merchants and the tailors seated outside was ecstatic. As Matanhy moved from shop to shop, the staff and the tailors kept snipping their scissors.
Significantly Matanhy has succeeded in enthusing the youth to support his candidature. Most of them are students who have just concluded their exams and are thrilled to be working for Matanhy. “I had actually come here thinking it would be a part time job, but I am so impressed with the talk that Matanhy gave and I now feel proud that I am doing something to save my beautiful state,” said young Filomena Naik who had taken a break from her job at a call centre.
Despite the Goan refrain of Matanhy’s campaign, Rupender Thappa, a Hotel Management Student was enthusiastically doing all kinds of jobs including serving water to the visitors at the office.
After the brisk walk around the Margao market for two hours, it is a quick bite of working lunch for Matanhy at the party office at Jardin dos Aliados and then he has to rush to meet two local satraps who wield quite a bit of influence in certain pockets.
Here again there are closed-door meetings and after one such meeting a visibly disturbed Matanhy walks to the car. “Why can’t there be plain politics without manipulations and machina
ions,” he muses aloud but does not reveal what was it that upset him so much.
“I really wish such politics would end,” he says thus providing that despite jumping into the electoral battle so many times, he has not developed the thick skin a politician is meant to have and still remains a true sensitive son of the red soil who is struggling to protect his land.
“I am not a politician but am forced into politics because our political leadership has failed us,” he admits while pointing out how the Congress candidate in South Goa and the Congress president have different views on the issue of ‘Special Status’ for Goa.
Getting back on the campaign trail, Matanhy addresses a corner meeting at Demani in Cuncolim where his president Dr. Fernandes reminds the people of the problems they faced due to the polluting units at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. “We do not need such industries specially in our villages,” said Matanhy.
Then it is to the Lohia Maidan for the first public meeting in Margao and after this meeting too there is no respite as there is a corner meeting at Ambaulim, which has now been added to the Cuncolim Assembly segment.
There is still a long way to go before Matanhy can hit the bed because on his way back home, he has yet another closed door meeting scheduled with yet another local leader.
What was apparent while on the trail with Matanhy was that the electorate is discontented and it blames the Congress for their woes but has no much hopes of the BJP being any different. But whether thisdiscontent will translate into votes for Matanhy is the big question.
