Sir — The absence of a second-in-command in the present set-up must definitely be a cause of worry for the BJP bigwigs who must have never entertained thoughts of a scenario without Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the epicenter of every political maneuvering in Goa. Moreover, the very fact that partners in the present alliance have agreed to tag along with the BJP only on condition that Parrikar leads the coalition Government should be giving sleepless nights to the party which managed to unfurl the saffron flag across most States in the country, cobbling up the most impossible of combinations to assume power in the region.
Sans the Parrikar-touch evident in every sphere of life in the State, the brittle association in Goa is certain to crumble. With coalitions deciding the future of Governments in the State, some ‘regional’ leaders, who have it in them to ably govern the State, are, however, hampered by ‘insufficient’ numbers or support in the Assembly to stake their claims.
The much-awaited ‘revival’ of the Congress in the State, as in other parts of the country, at this juncture at least does not appear to be in the realms of probability. In such milieu, Goans can only hope for a lengthy tenure for any Government in the State only with Parrikar at the helm of affairs.
He is most evidently that one factor which binds various ‘fragments’ that go to make the political firmament in the State.