“To be fair, elections are ultimately about winning. Parties are under pressure to field candidates who can secure victories, especially in high-stakes contests like bypolls. From that perspective, Bhatikar’s selection may be seen as a pragmatic choice. But pragmatism without principle is a slippery slope. It may deliver immediate gains, but it erodes trust within the organisation and among voters.
The larger concern is the message this sends ahead of future elections. If party workers begin to feel that loyalty and sustained effort do not translate into opportunity, it could weaken the organisational backbone of Congress. Political parties are not built only on candidates; they are built on workers who sustain them between elections.”
The Congress party’s decision to field Ketan Bhatikar for the upcoming Ponda bypoll has set off an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. For years, the party has sharply criticised the BJP for encouraging defections and sidelining loyal workers. Yet, in this instance, it appears to have adopted a strikingly similar approach.
Bhatikar, who entered the Congress fold barely a week ago, has been quickly elevated as the party’s candidate. His political journey is well known. He contested the 2022 Assembly election from Ponda on an MGP ticket and lost narrowly to the late Ravi Naik. Subsequently, during the Zilla Parishad elections, he backed his own candidates, effectively distancing himself from the MGP before eventually joining Congress.
There is little doubt that Bhatikar is a formidable contender. His previous electoral performance and local connect make him a strong challenger, especially in what is expected to be a closely fought bypoll. Against a BJP candidate, possibly Ritesh Naik, the contest promises to be intense.
However, the issue here is not about winnability alone. It is about consistency in political messaging and the value placed on party loyalty. By choosing a recent entrant over a long-serving party worker like Rajesh Verekar, Congress risks sending a troubling signal to its grassroots cadre.
Verekar, by most accounts, has been working steadily for the party and was an aspiring candidate for the seat. His exclusion raises a fundamental question: what incentive remains for loyal workers if electoral tickets are handed out to newcomers based on immediate political calculations? In a party that has struggled to maintain organisational strength in Goa, such decisions could deepen internal disillusionment.
More importantly, this move weakens Congress’s moral argument against the BJP. The party has consistently accused the ruling side of engineering defections and rewarding turncoats. But when it adopts a similar strategy, the criticism begins to ring hollow. Political expediency may justify such decisions in the short term, but it comes at the cost of long-term credibility.
Defections and political realignments are not new to Goa’s political landscape. They have, in many ways, become part of its electoral culture. Yet, parties that seek to position themselves as alternatives must demonstrate a different standard of functioning. If Congress is to distinguish itself from the BJP, it cannot afford to mirror the very practices it condemns.
To be fair, elections are ultimately about winning. Parties are under pressure to field candidates who can secure victories, especially in high-stakes contests like bypolls. From that perspective, Bhatikar’s selection may be seen as a pragmatic choice. But pragmatism without principle is a slippery slope. It may deliver immediate gains, but it erodes trust within the organisation and among voters.
The larger concern is the message this sends ahead of future elections. If party workers begin to feel that loyalty and sustained effort do not translate into opportunity, it could weaken the organisational backbone of Congress. Political parties are not built only on candidates; they are built on workers who sustain them between elections.
At the same time, voters are not blind to these shifts. The electorate in Goa has witnessed frequent party-switching and opportunistic alignments. Each such decision reinforces a perception that ideology and commitment are secondary to electoral arithmetic.
The Ponda bypoll will, no doubt, be closely watched. It will test not only the electoral strength of the BJP and Congress but also the credibility of their respective narratives. For Congress, the challenge goes beyond winning a seat. It must also answer whether it stands by the principles it claims to uphold.
In choosing Bhatikar, the party may have strengthened its chances in the immediate contest. But it has also opened itself to the very criticism it has long directed at its rival. The real test will be whether this strategy pays off politically or further blurs the distinction between the two parties in the eyes of the public.
