Goa's women politicians: Wives, daughters and also-rans
BJP has fielded its first woman candidate in Lok Sabha polls; Congress has yet to field a woman since parliamentary elections were first held in Goa in 1962
Late last month, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that Pallavi Dempo, the wife of prominent businessman Shrinivas Dempo would be fielded as the party candidate from south Goa marking the first time the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded a woman for Parliamentary polls from Goa.
The choice of Pallavi Dempo, 49, who has hitherto not been actively involved in public life or with any political party, was a win for the BJP’s commitment towards women empowerment and ‘Nari Shakti’, said Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant who felicitated Dempo the evening her name was announced.
If this is the first time the BJP is fielding a woman candidate for the Lok Sabha polls, how have other parties fared in comparison?
The honour of being Goa’s first woman parliamentarian belongs to Sanyogita Rane, who was elected from the Panaji (North Goa) parliamentary constituency on the ticket of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) back in 1980 — 19 years after the territory joined the Union. Rane also contested the 1984 and 1991 Lok Sabha elections without success, losing both times to the Congress candidates, Shantaram Naik and Harish Narayan Prabhu Zantye, respectively.
More recently, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded Swati Kerkar for the south Goa parliamentary seat in 2014 while Rakhi Naik contested on a Shiv Sena ticket in 2019 — neither won. Independents. Venus Habib and Aishwarya Salgaocar too had contested in 2014 and 2019 from (South Goa and North Goa respectively) as independents but failed to make an impact.
The Congress too is yet to field a woman candidate for the parliamentary elections and has failed to do so since elections began in 1962.
State level legislators
At the state level, Goa has had a long history of women legislators including those representing major parties, ever since Urminda Mascarenhas e Lima Leitao was voted in after the 1963 elections, the first to be held after Goa joined the Indian union in 1961. She belonged to the now-defunct United Goans Party. Seven women contested that election.
The following election in 1967, Shashikala Kakodkar (MGP), daughter of Goa’s first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, and Elu Miranda (UGP, Sequeira group) were elected. Kakodkar went on to become a minister in 1972 and later chief minister for two terms beginning in 1973 following the death of her father.
At present, Goa has three women legislators — Jennifer Monserrate, the wife of revenue minister Atanasio “Babush" Monserrate, Deviya Rane, the wife of Town and Country Planning minister Vishwajit Rane and Delilah Lobo, the wife of Michael Lobo, a former minister and current legislator all of whom are now with the BJP.
In 1994, Goa saw its highest number of elected women MLAs when Victoria Fernandes (Independent), Sangita Parab, Fatima D’Sa (both Congress) and Sashikala Kadokar (MGP) won with the four 10% of Goa’s 40-member state legislative assembly.
“Women have contested elections throughout Goa’s history, but when it comes to winning, especially in the recent past, it is mainly the spouses of established politicians who have won,” Cecille Rodrigues, who unsuccessfully contested the Goa elections on an AAP ticket from the Taleigao constituency in 2017 and 2022, said.
“While the BJP claims they are empowering women with tickets for the elections, these women are reduced to being voiceless figureheads for the party. Women who really speak out for women’s issues are viciously trolled. Even though the BJP now has three women legislators and has given a parliamentary ticket to a woman for the first time, none of the women have or will speak out against the attacks on women in Manipur, the women wrestlers who were fighting against harassment,” she added.
“Women should be given a chance, and those women who have worked on the ground, taken up people’s issues should be rewarded,” Rodrigues said.
Dempo, a novice in politics is banking on the BJP’s organisational strength, support from the party leadership and ground workers as well as the Dempo family's goodwill and legacy to carry her through.
The Dempo family owes its fortune to Portuguese-era iron ore mining concessions and is a prominent business house in Goa’s pre-and post-liberation era. They have invested in football development via the Dempo Sports Club and run educational institutions via a charitable trust. The family has since expanded into hospitality, real estate, shipbuilding and manufacturing via publicly listed Goa Carbon Ltd. The family also runs Goa’s oldest English daily The Navhind Times via a subsidiary company.
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