By Suraj Nandrekar
With the Goa Assembly session around the corner, brace yourself — not for robust debates or visionary ideas, but for another entertaining chapter in the saga of the “United” Opposition. Yes, those seven MLAs. They’re back, freshly caffeinated, full of press releases, and ready to almost stand together.
The Opposition in Goa is a compact club — just seven MLAs in all. Three from Congress: Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Adv. Carlos Alvares Ferreira, and Altone D’Costa. Then there’s AAP’s dynamic duo: Capt. Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva. Add to that Vijai Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party, and rounding out the magnificent seven is Viresh Borkar of the Revolutionary Goans Party.
On paper, they’re supposed to keep the government on its toes. In reality, they spend more time tripping over each other’s egos than challenging the ruling bench.
Let’s start with the Congress camp. Yuri Alemao, young and vocal, is still settling into his LoP shoes, but he’s already wary of shadows — especially the one cast by fellow Opposition man and self-styled saviour of Goan pride, Vijai Sardesai. Vijai’s “Amcho Awaz” campaign has reportedly ruffled Yuri’s feathers. Sources suggest Yuri sees it as an attempt to position Vijai as the next LoP — a throne Yuri would rather not vacate before 2027, or ever.
Vijai, for his part, has only one mission: relevance. With just himself and a dream, he’s trying to punch above his numerical weight, floating slogans and taking jabs — at the government, Congress, AAP, and sometimes even his own past decisions. His party may be named Goa Forward, but it’s clear Vijai’s eyes are firmly set on 2027 — because for him, it’s now or never.
Meanwhile, the AAP duo, Venzy and Cruz, are doing decent groundwork — in bits and pieces. They speak up, take up causes, and occasionally land punches. But let’s be honest — much of what they say in the Assembly echoes what’s already been drafted in Delhi or Punjab. For a party built on decentralisation, decisions still take the Konkan Express to get signed off by the high command.
And then we have Viresh Borkar — Goa’s revolutionary wildcard. Until recently, Borkar refused to even sit with the rest of the Opposition, claiming he was a “people’s voice,” not part of the club. But surprise! This session, he wants in. Wants to join the Opposition bench. Why the sudden change of heart? No one knows. Maybe he misses the air-conditioning on that side. Or maybe his ‘outsider’ act ran out of applause.
This week, in a rare flash of unity, all seven MLAs staged a walkout from the Business Committee (BC) meeting. Cameras rolled, headlines roared: “United Opposition Walks Out.” For 15 minutes, it felt like they meant business.
But seasoned Assembly watchers know better. This isn’t the first time the Opposition has discovered the power of walking out — it’s just that they usually forget to do it together. In past sessions, one MLA would storm out in protest while another stayed back for their starred question. “My issue’s still pending,” one would say. “I didn’t get the memo,” said another. Yes, nothing screams unity like coordinated exits followed by uncoordinated press conferences.
Because when the Assembly session begins, unity goes out the window. Everyone wants their own stage, their own press bite, their own moment of thunder. Yuri holds one presser, Vijai calls another (usually with more volume), Venzy tweets, Cruz shares a video, and Borkar… well, he might just launch another revolutionary campaign. Against whom? That depends on the day.
The result? A seven-member opposition that spends more time opposing each other than the government. If you’re a ruling party MLA, you don’t need to worry — the Opposition’s main agenda is already occupied: personal branding.
And so, as Goa’s Assembly prepares to reconvene, here comes the same old show — full of walkouts, soundbites, and one-upmanship. Will they raise real issues? Possibly. Will they do it together? Doubtful.
Because in Goa, the Opposition is divided by nature, united only for convenience… and occasionally, for the photo-op.
