“Well, in my opinion, TMC is here to split votes and that's what I dared to tell the I-PAC team that sought my opinion. Goa may be as big/small as one constituency in Bengal yet political theories of other states cannot be applied to Ajeeb Log” quips a definitive voice from the Church even as Derek O’Brien announces that TMC is contesting Goa and will be declaring the CM candidate. The party will be doing that for the second time in a decade and both the times the CM face disgruntled Congressmen.

In Goa, ageing, past-their-prime politicians don’t give up. They botox their careers. As Bengal gets flooded by TMC MLAs, Prodigal BJP returnees and more cyclonic rains, its storm clouds gather over Goa as it tries to enter an already crowded marketplace. Interestingly, its host in Goa is an ageing media outlet that claims to have returned BJP to power in 2012, GFP as Kingmaker in 2017 and after flirting with AAP now wants to broker power through TMC. Its talisman and ageing veteran Congressman Luizinho Faleiro who has two unfinished terms of one year each as CM of Goa where he was brought down by his team, rose back to power to see Congress win across all 7 North-Eastern states and form Govts and came back to Goa to lead Congress to almost form the Govt in 2017. Well almost.

Congress under Faleiro won due to an anti-incumbency wave, not leadership. His leadership fell through when the party could not form Govt. This was followed by a complete wipeout of Congress in the North-East as the party witnessed desertion after desertion. Goa is far from Bengal just as Delhi is (ask Arvind Kejriwal and Team) and with BJP ruling here and in Delhi, the Khela will Hobe more with them.

TMC should have waited IMHO till 2027. Congress has Goan legacy behind i others will be just seen as party hijackers, party spoilers. This election Congress is seen more as a victim of the resilient than a party of oldies who will get elected and desert. The hand rules the grassroots, TMC would handball.