Seven years after Manohar Parrikar's death, BJP turns back to his legacy

According to a News18 report, despite seven years passing since the demise of Manohar Parrikar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa is once again attempting to connect with voters and bridge internal party rifts by leveraging his political legacy. As the upcoming Goa Assembly elections approach, Parrikar's popularity and his distinct Goan identity have once again become the centre of political discussion. The BJP is now acknowledging that it is difficult to maintain a relationship with Goan voters solely through the central leadership or national-level machinery; therefore, the party has adopted a strategy to revive the politics of the Parrikar era.

As part of this strategy, the BJP seeks to reconnect with old party workers and leaders who had drifted away over time. In October, Goa BJP State President Damodar Naik confirmed that the party has initiated talks with former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar. Parsekar had left the party in 2022 after being denied a ticket. Additionally, the party has held meetings with Uttpal Parrikar on two occasions. Uttpal had contested as an independent candidate in 2022 after not receiving a ticket from his father Manohar Parrikar's traditional Panaji seat, and had publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the party's decision.

When BJP National President Nitin Navin visited Goa on October 27 and 28, he gave clear instructions that the party's grassroots workers should be brought back together. He instructed the state unit to establish contact with all old workers, including former office-bearers, sarpanches, and up-sarpanches. This exercise by the party comes at a time when, in the 2022 elections, the BJP gave Manohar Parrikar's traditional Panaji seat to Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, who had joined the party from the Congress and Goa Forward Party. This decision had met with heavy opposition both inside and outside the party.

The primary objective behind this political calculation of the BJP is not merely to bring back individuals, but to reconnect influential constituencies that had drifted away from the BJP after Parrikar's passing. Manohar Parrikar was a leader of the BJP who, despite being aligned with the RSS ideology, succeeded in preserving Goa's culture and identity. His administrative skills and direct contact with the people make him the BJP's most successful Goan leader. Even the opposition holds respect for him today, demonstrating how influential his political image was. The BJP is now trying to understand how to recreate popularity and local connection similar to that of Parrikar.

He was like the cornerstone of the BJP in Goan politics. He played a vital role in strengthening the party in the state and established the BJP as a strong alternative in Goa's politics. During his tenure, he took several decisions for the development of Goa, which made him very popular among the common people. After his death, a large vacuum was created in Goa's politics, which the BJP is still struggling to fill today.