Ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to be held in the states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the political parties are training their guns to ensure their victory. However, the Goa election is an exception as the coastal state’s elections will not only be affected by the events transpiring in the state but also by Love Jihad in Kerala which has become a hot topic for political parties of late.
Goa and its Christian Population
Goa is known for its Christian population. The Christian voter base in Goa is roughly 27 percent. And in constituencies like Nuvem, Benaulim, and Velim, the Christian population is around 80%. The state also has eight per cent Muslims. Hindus form the majority with 66.8% population in Goa and have started becoming more assertive in this state previously colonised by the Portuguese.
Goans, for a long time now, have been supporting the so-called secular parties. Congress, by portraying itself as a secular party, has been bagging a huge number of votes for a long period of time.
Congress state unit president Girish Chodankar has stated, “The BJP could not win the elections straightway against us. Therefore they use different tactics to divide the secular votes and damage the Congress. Last time, the AAP also contested but did not win a single seat, though their vote share was more than 6 per cent. This time, there is a bigger pitch to Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress but she will also draw a blank.”
But, given the plight of Christians in Kerala and other states, the community in Goa, this time, will consider how they are being treated by Congress, AAP and TMC in other states.
Impact of Love Jihad in Kerala on Goa elections
Love Jihad has become a hot political topic in Kerala and not just Hindus but also many Christian people and leaders are now raising this issue. In the last few months, the Christian community in Kerala has consistently raised the issue of love jihad. But, secular political parties are reluctant to address the issue. But the problem has been acknowledged in Goa as well as the Christian communities of the two states have similar concerns.
Previously, Kerala Catholics Bishop Council Deputy General Secretary Varghese Vallikkat stood up against the phenomenon and said that “love jihad” should be addressed at a broader level and “secular political parties should at least accept” that it existed in Kerala.
Read more: In Communist Kerala, Churches decide to silence voices against Love Jihad and Narcotics Jihad
Such is the condition of the state’s Christian women that many of them are shipped off to Syria and other Islamic countries after being lured into marriage by Islamists who initially fake or do not reveal their actual identities.
While a variety of issues has contributed to the Christians of Kerala losing faith in the Congress party and its alliance partners, this will have a huge impact on Christians in Goa as they are observing the plight of their co-religionists.
Unlike Congress and other political parties including AAP, TMC, the BJP has been opposing the menace of love jihad and this is why Goa’s 27 per cent Christian population will be rallying in support of the BJP.
