Focus will be on opposition unity, coordination and ability to corner government
The monsoon session of the Goa Assembly begins today. The three-day session has already drawn severe criticism from the opposition, which has asked why the government is scared to face the Assembly if its performance has been good. A monsoon session is normally longer.
As per the business listed for the day, 15 government bills are proposed to be introduced in the House today. While most are amendment bills, others are fresh ones. These include the Goa Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2026, the Goa Advocates Protection Bill, 2026, and the Goa Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, 2026, among others. The proposed unlawful conversion bill has already evoked a sharp reaction from the opposition and various quarters. The proposed Goa Advocates Protection Bill was a demand raised after a lawyer was attacked.
Goa has several issues that require discussion. The Porvorim shootout that occurred three days ago is a ready-made issue for the opposition benches. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said this was the first time an incident of firing at a businessman had occurred during his eight-year tenure. This has been disputed by the Congress, which has listed several cases. Whatever the case, there is no denying that it is the responsibility of the state to maintain law and order so that businessmen and all citizens, including visitors, feel safe. Goa is largely seen as a safe holiday destination, but incidents that contradict this perception occur from time to time.
The Congress brought casinos, and the BJP then promised to cancel their licences if it came to power. But who acted how, and why, is well known to all. In Goa, politicians are known to promise many things in the run-up to elections. However, once in power, they end up “fine-tuning” the very policies they had criticised. They have also mastered the art of convincing their own workers while justifying the decisions they take. Family Raj and casino ‘hatao’ were two of the main issues that dominated the 2012 elections. In the years that followed, Goa witnessed Family Raj and bigger casino vessels on the Mandovi.
The BJP has a brute majority in the House. In the February 2022 assembly elections, the BJP won 20 seats, and by September of the same year, its strength had swelled to 28 in the 40-member House after eight Congress MLAs joined the BJP. In the session beginning today, the Assembly’s strength stands at 38, as Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate died last month and former Chief Minister Ravi Naik died last October — both belonging to the BJP. The ruling party has the support of the MGP, which has two MLAs, and three Independents: Antonio Vas (Cortalim), Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco (Curtorim) and Dr Chandrakant Shetye (Bicholim). The opposition’s strength has been meagre, consisting of three MLAs from the Congress, two from the AAP and one each from the GFP and RGP.
Though small in number, the opposition has repeatedly proved effective in cornering the government on the floor of the House on various issues. Citizens will look forward to this session, as it could be the last before the next assembly election. The ruling dispensation will have to show that its performance has been good and free of corruption. It will also have to deflect the opposition’s efforts to put the government on the mat. The focus, however, will be on the opposition — first, to prove how effective it can be against the government, and second, whether it can work together and display unity against the BJP on the floor of the House.
