For Damu Naik, the BJP state party presidentship may not be a bed of roses
The BJP central leadership seeks loyal and hard-working karyakartas and always encourages and supports young, smart, and educated party workers to ascend the organisational ladder. Damodar Naik, popularly known as Damu Naik, is one of them.
A grassroots-level worker of BJP, 53-year-old Naik is the new state party president. Naik joined the BJP in 1994 at the age of 23 and has tasted both success and defeat in his political career.
It was in the same year that the BJP opened its account in the Goa assembly, riding piggyback on the MGP, the main opposition party then. In the 1994-99 assembly term, the BJP had four MLAs led by Manohar Parrikar. Under the guidance of seniors, Naik quickly learnt the political ropes. He was a committed karyakarta who would do anything to keep the party flag flying high. Interestingly, in the 1999 assembly elections, BJP went solo and increased its strength in the assembly to 10. This was also because the BJP proved to be an effective opposition as its leaders took up people’s issues and also tried to expose corruption in the government. One famous “corruption” case raised was that of the “power subsidy scam” which after two decades turned into “an attempted power subsidy scam”!
To gain traction, Parrikar and other senior party leaders, along with the karyakartas, would hit the streets. Naik was one of the young workers. He was part of every BJP agitation. He became an MLA from Fatorda in 2002. Naik was appointed chairman of the Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation and president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha of Goa State. After the BJP lost power in the first half of 2005, Naik and others continued with their aggressive stance. In the assembly, Naik would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Parrikar to put the Congress-led government on the mat.
Getting elected as state BJP president is a big achievement for Naik, as he has not held any noteworthy position since 2012, though the party has been in power since then. His election is also seen as a show of respect for the Bahujan Samaj. BJP seems to have played the caste card well.
Naik has his tasks cut out. He has said that he will strengthen the BJP further and help it retain power in the 2027 assembly polls. He has also asked the workers not to vent their feelings concerning party matters on social media. With 33 MLAs on the ruling side, it is not easy for any chief minister and ruling party president to keep all in good humour. The next assembly election is still two years away, and that’s when Naik will have to prove himself. With Naik as the state party chief, BJP could get a boost in South Goa. He has already spoken of zilla panchayat and municipal elections, which will be held before the next assembly polls. Besides, it is not only party organisational work that will keep him busy. The party president and his team work in tandem with the chief minister and others, offering suggestions and reviewing government decisions, if needed. Naik’s presidency may not be a bed of roses, as one cannot please all the partymen all the time. Being a huge organisation, the party is ridden with factions, and he will have to do a balancing act between factions. A challenging innings awaits Naik.’
