Margao: A day after state BJP president Damodar Naik warned social welfare minister Subhash Phal Dessai of disciplinary action for his political overtures in Curchorem constituency, the Sanguem MLA hit back on Sunday, questioning why he alone was being singled out even as, he claimed, several other BJP MLAs had been indulging in similar constituency-hopping manoeuvres without inviting the party’s ire.Phal Dessai’s counter came within minutes of a sizeable crowd of his supporters gathering outside his Quepem residence on Sunday morning, ostensibly to express their “indignation” at what they called the “humiliation” heaped on their MLA by Naik’s warning. Several among them also used the occasion to demand answers on govt’s plans to reserve certain assembly seats for Scheduled Tribes ahead of 2027.“If the BJP president says 101% action will be taken against me, why was no action taken against the then deputy chief minister and now BJP vice-president Chandrakant Kavalekar when his wife contested against me, the official BJP candidate, in Sanguem in 2022? Did the party ever warn him of disciplinary action?” Phal Dessai asked.But Phal Dessai’s predicament, insiders point out, is only the most visible face of a trouble brewing within BJP itself — an unintended consequence of Centre’s notification on Thursday bringing into force the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act, 2025. With speculation rife that Sanguem, Quepem, Priol and Nuvem could all be earmarked for ST candidates, the notification has sent more than one sitting MLA and several aspirants into a tizzy, their political futures suddenly hostage to how the reservation dice eventually falls.For Phal Dessai, with both Sanguem and Quepem — the twin pillars of his political career — tipped to go the reserved way, the scramble for a fallback has already begun. He has now been eyeing neighbouring Curchorem, where sitting BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral has himself been simmering over the party’s reluctance to rein in aspirants he feels have been overshadowing his own work in the constituency.It was against this backdrop that Phal Dessai’s visit to a couple of temples in Curchorem on Saturday was read by many as a none-too-subtle signal of his intentions to contest from there in 2027. Questioned by reporters on the visit and his evident interest in Curchorem, Phal Dessai did little to dispel the impression. “With all doors closed for me, I’m groping in the dark. My temple visits came at a time when I was searching for a way ahead,” he said.On Sunday, a large number of supporters turned up seeking an explanation, prompting Phal Dessai to reassure them he had no intention of leaving Sanguem and would “be with the people” whether or not he remained their MLA. The supporters also voiced opposition to any move to reserve Sanguem for STs. “There is a sizeable population of Bhandari community and others — where should they go now?” members of the crowd asked.Phal Dessai later told reporters that since he stood to be the most affected MLA by the reservation exercise, the party owed him “accommodation” and in effect, “justice”.
