Dynasty Raj has aged like fine wine in poll-bound, beer-loving Goa

Panaji, Jan 30 The dynasty phenomenon has appeared to have aged like fine wine in Goa ahead of the February 14 Assembly polls.

And just like wine offers red, white and rose variants, the upcoming elections appear to have broken down the dynasty concept to sons and daughters, spouses and sundry.

The BJP appears to have displaced the Congress this time, when it comes to adopting the Family Raj doctrine, although the party appears to have preferred couples more than direct political descendants, when it comes to ticket allocation.

The BJP has picked two couples, Vishwajit and Divya Rane from Valpoi and Poriem Assembly constituencies, respectively. The party has also nominated the Monserrates, Atanasio and Jennifer, as its candidates from Panaji and Taleigao seats for the Valentine's Day poll.

The one couple which could not make the cut in the BJP are the Kavlekars. While Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar got the BJP ticket from the Quepem Assembly seat, his wife Savitri, who was also vying for a BJP ticket from the neighbouring Sanguem Assembly constituency, has had to contend with being an independent candidate.

The Trinamool Congress follows the BJP, allotting tickets to two couples, Kiran Kandolkar and his wife Kavita from the Aldona and Thivim Assembly constituencies, while the Congress has settled for just one marital pair, Michael and Delilah Lobo from the Calangute and Siolim Assembly constituencies.

Sons of powerful political sires have however found less favour with the BJP this time, as compared to wedded couples. The notable omission is late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal, whose claim for the ticket to the Panaji seat was rejected in favour of Atanasio Monserrate.

Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik's son Siddesh also could not make it to the BJP's ticket roster. While Utpal has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate, Siddesh has backed off from the brink of rebellion after he was offered the post of a secretary in the party's state unit.

Late Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza's son Joshua however appears to have made the cut in the BJP, with the party offering him a ticket to contest the Mapusa assembly seat. Francis D'Souza was undefeated in Mapusa from 1999, before the BJP's most prominent Catholic face died in 2019.

The Alemaos appear to be the luckiest clan when it comes to cornering the most number of tickets in these polls. While the Trinamool Congress has fielded the father-daughter duo of Churchill and Valanka from the Benaulim and Navelim Assembly constituencies, respectively, in South Goa, Yuri Alemao, Churchill's nephew, has secured a ticket from the Cuncolim Assembly constituency. Yuri's father Joaquim incidentally has also been a Congress legislator in the past.

The Dhavalikar brothers, Sudin and Deepak, are the only sibling pairing to contest the February 14 Assembly elections from the Marcaim and Priol constituencies representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

The state's most forested sub district of Sattari represents the sundry classification of the dynasty concept.

The candidates contesting the two constituencies of Valpoi and Sattari would be more at home sitting at a family dinner rather than featuring as election combatants.

The Poriem Assembly constituency in Sattari has been represented by former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane for over 50 years. Goa was poised to witness a contest between Pratapsingh Rane on a Congress ticket against his daughter-in-law Divya Rane, who has been fielded by the ruling BJP.

Pratapsingh Rane withdrew from the contest at the goading of his son and Divya Rane's husband Vishwajit, Health Minister in the outgoing government who is contesting from the Valpoi assembly constituency on a BJP ticket.

The Congress' last minute replacement of Pratapsingh Rane in Poriem is yet another Rane Ranjit Rane, who is the son of former MLA Jaysingrao, who belongs to the Rane clan.