Revolutionary Goans Party

Revolutionary Goans Party
Abbreviation	RGP
Leader	Manoj Parab
President	Manoj Parab
General Secretary	Vishvesh Naik[1]
Founder	Manoj Parab
Founded	1 January 2022 (2 years ago) (2022-01-01)[2]
Headquarters	312, 3rd Floor, Gera Imperium Grand, Patto Panjim, Goa
Ideology	Regionalism[3] Nativism[4]
ECI Status	State Party[5]
Seats in Goa Legislative Assembly	1 / 40
Election symbol
Website
rgpofficial.org
Politics of India Political parties Elections

The Revolutionary Goans Party (abbr. RGP) is a regional party in the Indian state of Goa. First registered as a non-governmental organization when founded in March 2017, it received recognition as a political party from the Election Commission of India in 2022.^[2] The party contested 38 seats in the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election, winning the St Andre constituency. The party's "anti-migrant" policies have been classified as similar to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).^[6][7][8]

Person of Goan Origin Bill 2019

The introduction of the bill became a major election plant for the Revolutionary Goans Party which defines a person of Goan origin as “A person of Goan Origin” of the state of Goa shall mean a person who is or whose either parent or grandparent was born in Goa prior to 20 December 1961 or who had a permanent habitation in Goa prior to 20 December 1961 and who were citizens of India post-liberation irrespective of nationality or passport they hold currently.^[9]

To protect the rights of the person of Goan origin of State of Goa in respect of jobs, benefits of various government schemes, education, Comunidade land and Government, semi-Government plots/apartments/shops, promotions and to make certain other provisions connected therewith.

Where it is expedient to give better protection to the person of Goan origin in view of special Portuguese laws, provisions of code of Comunidade, effect of late independence of Goa on education opportunities for Goans, Peculiar social and economic changes affecting Goans and changing demography vis-a-vis small size of the state and its population.

— The Goa Person of Goan Origin Bill 2019 (introductory paragraphs)^[10]

Electoral performance

Lok Sabha (General) election results

Election	Lok sabha	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	+/- in seats	Overall vote %	Vote swing	Ref.
2024	18th	Manoj Parab	2	0 / 543

Goa Legislative Assembly elections

Election Year	Leader	seats contested	seats won	+/- in seats	Overall votes	% of overall votes	+/- in vote share	Sitting side
Goa Legislative Assembly
2022	Manoj Parab	38	1 / 40	1	93,255	9.81%	9.81

History

2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

On 14 January 2022, the Revolutionary Goans Party officially announced Manoj Parab as their designated candidate for the position of Chief Minister in the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election.^[11] However, Parab's electoral campaigns in both Tivim and Valpoi constituencies were unsuccessful.^[12]

Viresh Borkar won the RGP's first seat in the assembly by defeating four-time MLA and former sports minister Francisco Silveira of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of 76 votes.^[13]

Political analyst Prakash Kamat expressed reservations about some of Parab and the party's ideas, suggesting that they may not align with constitutional principles. For example, Kamat highlighted Parab's POGO Bill, which advocates granting exclusive rights to Goans. He further added that Parab has managed to generate enthusiasm among the people, as evidenced by his significant vote share. This has discussions for Parab to be taken seriously as a political figure.^[14]

Post Assembly election objectives

Parab during a public meeting, 2020

In March 2022, Parab outlined the strategic objectives of his party to enhance its presence within the 40-member house by 2027. The party planned to participate in various elections in Goa, including the Lok Sabha, zilla panchayat, and municipality elections. Parab emphasized the party's commitment to running a campaign, aiming to secure a wider base of support. In pursuit of this goal, Parab sought the guidance and mentorship of individuals from diverse backgrounds. In the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election, the Revolution Goans Party (RGP) achieved a vote share of 9.5%, equivalent to over 92,000 votes. Building upon this success, the party has set a target of attaining 3.5 lakh votes in the forthcoming elections.^[15]

2022 Goa Village Panchayat election

In March 2022, subsequent to the Legislative Assembly election, Parab declared the party's intention to participate in the forthcoming Goa village panchayat election, slated for August of the same year.^[15] Emphasizing the positive vote share obtained during the 2022 assembly election, Parab underscored the party's commitment to promoting the involvement of youth in the panchayat election. The party's overarching objective was to advance the notion of self-sustainability and empowerment within rural communities. Parab articulated the need for contesting elections at the grassroots level to combat systemic issues and eradicate corruption at the village level. Furthermore, Parab refuted allegations of his party being responsible for vote division in the assembly election, asserting that they merely provided voters with additional choices. He also indicated the party's intention to address the issue of Goan identity through their sole legislator in the assembly.^[16]

Among the 186 panchayats in Goa, Parab's party, the RGP, was unsuccessful in gaining control over any panchayat, with the exception of a single victory in the Azossim-Mandur panchayat within the St. Andre constituency. This victory was achieved by a slender margin of 4–3, with the party's former president and newcomer candidate, Viresh Borkar, triumphing over the four-term BJP candidate Francisco Silveira in the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election.^[17]

2022 Goa Zilla Panchayat election

On 3 October 2022, Parab held a press conference to announce the candidates his party was nominating for the upcoming by-elections in three Zilla Panchayat constituencies. These by-elections were scheduled to take place on 16 October. Andrew Rebello was chosen as the RGP's candidate for the Davorlim constituency, while Leslie Gama was selected to contest from the Cortalim constituency. Sainath Korgaonkar was named as the RGP's candidate for the Reis Magos constituency.^[18]

On 6 October 2022, Olencio Simoes, a leader of the Congress party, expressed a willingness to form an alliance with the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) for the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat polls. Simoes stated that the Congress party had suffered a loss of ten seats in the Assembly elections due to the actions of the Revolutionary Goans Party. He urged the RGP to demonstrate that they were not aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Simoes suggested the possibility of fielding joint candidates from the Congress and RGP for the Zilla Panchayat election, but claimed that the RGP was not open to such an arrangement.^[19] In response Parab took to Twitter to assert that his party was not for sale and accused the Congress party of being affiliated with the BJP.^[20]

In the by-elections, Parab's party was defeated in all three constituencies by the BJP. In the Reis Magos constituency, Korgaonkar secured the second position but lost to the BJP candidate, Sandeep Kashinath Bandodkar, by a margin of 4,244 votes. Similarly, Gama, the RGP candidate for the Cortalim constituency, finished as the runner-up, losing by a margin of 2,942 votes to an independent candidate, Merciana Mendes E Vaz, who was backed by the BJP.^[21] In the Davorlim constituency, Rebello came in fourth place, losing to the BJP candidate, Paresh Naik, by a margin of 3,296 votes.^[22]

Meet with regional parties leaders

In October 2022, Parab made an announcement regarding the party's approach to engaging with leaders from regional parties across the country.^[23] During a press conference in Panaji, Parab emphasized the RGP's commitment to its ideology and expressed its intention to reintroduce the POGO Bill in the state legislative assembly. Parab also held meetings with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray in Mumbai. Parab clarified that the RGP maintains its independence from any specific political party and positioned itself as the principal opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming 2027 Goa assembly polls. He further emphasized that the contest would primarily involve the RGP and the BJP. Parab remarked that the Revolutionary Goans Party has developed its own distinctive revolutionary model, differentiating itself from the approach of the Shiv Sena (SHS).^[24]

See also

• List of political parties in India

References

1. Times, Navhind (3 March 2024). "Dhavalikar, RGP leader lock horns at Bandora; plaint lodged against Min – The Navhind Times".
2. "Finally, EC recognises RG as political party". The Goan EveryDay. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
3. "Goa's Revolutionary Goans organization objects to Karnataka's Kannada Bhavan proposal". Asianet.
4. "Will a regional party queer the pitch for BJP, Congress in Goa Lok Sabha polls?". India Today. 17 December 2023.
5. "RGP recognised as State political party". The Goan EveryDay.
6. "Assembly Election Results 2022: How Goa's RG Party Left RG's Party All at Sea in Coastal State". News18. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
7. Sutar, Kamlesh Damodar. "How this party emulated Raj Thackeray-led MNS' 2009 poll debut to help BJP retain Goa". India Today. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
8. "Punjab, Goa assemblies get a younger profile, higher women representation". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 11 March 2022.
9. "Foundation of RG's POGO bill had legal & constitutional flaws". oHeraldo.
10. "The Goa Person of Goan Origin Bill 2019 (POGO)" (PDF). Revolutionary Goans. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022.
11. Franco, Velanie (14 January 2022). "Manoj Parab declared RG's chief minister candidate". Gomantak Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
12. "Goa General Legislative Election 2022". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
13. "Inspired by freedom fighter grandfather, Viresh Borkar chose revolutionary path". The Times of India.
14. Kumar, Krishna (12 March 2022). "Manoj Parab's Revolutionary Goans rides local sentiment to win third highest vote share in Goa". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
15. "RG eyes 2027, aims to contest all polls in Goa". The Times of India. 13 March 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
16. "RGP sounds the bugle for panchayat polls". The Navhind Times. 10 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
17. "RG struggles to make a dent in polls, saves face in Azossim-Mandur p'yat". The Times of India. 13 August 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
18. "ZP bypoll: Cong, RG finalise candidates". The Times of India. 4 October 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
19. Team (6 October 2022). ""Congress is ready for alliance with Revolutionary Goans"". Goa News Hub. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
20. Team (6 October 2022). "Revolutionary Goans is not for sale: Manoj Parab reacts to Cong offer". Goa News Hub. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
21. "BJP Wins Goa Zilla Panchayat Bypolls In All 3 Constituencies". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
22. "BJP SCORES ZILLA HATTRICK IN DAVORLIM". The Goan EveryDay. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
23. "IT WILL BE BJP V/S RGP IN 2027: MANOJ PARAB". www.prudentmedia.in. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
24. "We are committed to bring back POGO Bill: Parab". The Navhind Times. 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.