Church urges Catholics for secular vote in Goa

An Appeal by the Catholic church to vote for 'secular' candidates is going to add to the Bharatiya Janata Party's problems. As it is the party hardly gets any support from Goa's Catholic Christian community, which constitutes nearly one-third of the state's population.

An appeal to vote for secular and clean candidate issued by the Church's council for Social Justice and Peace has been carried by the local English daily, O Herald O, in its Friday's edition. The O Herald O has a large following among the Catholic community here.

The Catholic Christian population is in majority in 10 Assembly segments of South Goa and can tilt the results in another 10 constituencies. Which is enough to change the fortunes of a political party in a house of 40 MLAs.

However, BJP's state unit president and MP Shripad Naik refuses to be worried by the Catholic Church appeal. "In fact, we welcome the church's advisory, as it appeals to vote for secular and clean candidates. And every one in Goa knows who indulges in sectarian politics and Congress has hardly a clean candidate. Therefore, the church's appeal will work in our favour," Naik claimed.

In the past, the church is known to issue appeals favouring a party or a candidate/candidates. This time around, by not naming any party or candidate, the church seemed to have changed its stance and this in itself is a significant development, feels Naik.

As expected Congress has welcomed the church's appeal. Former Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam who is camping in Goa for elections said, "We welcome the church's appeal as it asks to vote for secular candidates and we see nothing wrong in church issuing such appeal".