Media speculation of an imminent cabinet reshuffle with the dropping of one minister and induction of another became a reality on an otherwise dull political Sunday.
The stress on dull and political is because, as the new minister was being sworn in, across India people were glued to the television sets catching the finals of the cricket World Cup that India ultimately lost.
Had it not been for that match, the focus would have been on the political change here in Goa, but the finals in Ahmedabad overshadowed the happenings in Goa.
The changeover – one could call it a reverse swing to use cricketing parlance – however, has a few surprises and so there are questions to be asked, even if they won’t be answered.
If the induction of Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira into the State cabinet is a commitment that has been met, then one can infer that the entry of the eight Congress MLAs into the BJP last year was not unconditional as the people were led to believe.
The changeover – one could call it a reverse swing to use cricketing parlance – however, has a few surprises and so there are questions to be asked, even if they won’t be answered.
The meanings of the terms ‘conditional’ and ‘commitment’ may be debatable, but when one uses the word ‘commitment’, it stands to reason that there was some sort of understanding when the MLAs made their way from the Congress to the BJP. If there was none, what commitment is this?
The question that arises now is: what other commitments were made to the MLAs that the people were and are still unaware of? Will we hear of them in the days, weeks and months to come?
It was always difficult to believe that the defections were without preconditions, and development was the only reason that the MLAs switched parties. Now we know that there were ‘commitments’ made and that at least one of these has been honoured.
From this, it also turns a tad difficult to accept the reason for the resignation of Nilesh Cabral as a sacrifice by a core party member called upon by the leadership of make that sacrifice.
Was there some other reason for him to be replaced in the cabinet? Or, has there been some other commitment made to Cabral when asking him to relinquish the post?
It was always difficult to believe that the defections were without preconditions, and development was the only reason that the MLAs switched parties.
It is rare, very rare, that in Goa a minister gives up a cabinet berth without a fight. In recent times, there has been nobody who has done so.
Remember when four ministers from among the ruling allies were dropped in 2019 to make way for some other into the cabinet? And, that quiet acceptance of one making way for the other is what makes this entire episode appear so different from what we have come to accept as the normal.
So, Sequeira is in the government. Will he make a major difference to the working of the cabinet or that of the government? He has held important portfolios in earlier governments, so he brings with him some experience. Was that the consideration in replacing Cabral with Sequeira?
But, there could be another reason, a political one and the timing of the cabinet reshuffle hasn’t been lost on the people, who are perceptive enough to see through political machinations.
Sequeira has held important portfolios in earlier governments, so he brings with him some experience. Was that the consideration in replacing Cabral?
Sequeira is the first MLA from Salcete to be given a ministerial berth since the elections of 2022, and the Lok Sabha elections are just months away.
If you link the two, you can arrive with a hypothesis of electoral exigencies forcing the induction of an MLA from Salcete into the cabinet to balance the taluka equation before Goa votes to send its two MLAs to the Lower House of Parliament.
Sequeira is the first MLA from Salcete to be given a ministerial berth since the elections of 2022
So, were the upcoming Lok Sabha polls a consideration while maintaining the commitment that was made to Sequeira?
BJP has already declared that it is aiming to win both seats, it cannot win without a substantial population of Salcete voting in the party’s favour. They know it, the opposition knows it. But, can this one ministerial berth do the trick for them?
That question will be answered some six months from now when the elections take place. Until then, there could be many more political surprises coming the way of Goa.
In the light of one of the defecting MLAs being given a cabinet berth and the others left with none, there surely will be some disgruntlement that could lead to some political movements. Who knows, in Goa’s always fluid politics, even a few shift overs are possible.
