Photo : ANINew Delhi: The month of March in Goa can turn out to be hot and humid. While the evenings have the cool breeze coming in, the daytime sun sends the temperature soaring. What added to the ‘heat’ and perspiration this year has been the Assembly elections. The season has now been underlined by the BJP’s victory in a tough contest, in many ways, a turning point in the political history of the state.While the RSS has maintained deep roots in the state for long, starting with its role in Goa’s liberation in 1961, it was the late Manohar Parrikar who brought political relevance to the Sangh Parivar’s existence in the socio-political mix of Goa, a state that is home to a sizeable population of Catholics. The BJP started gaining critical mass in the 1990s. The 1999 election went in favour of the Congress, but the party couldn’t hold its flock together, leading to Parrikar being sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the first time in the year 2000. The BJP had only 10 MLAs of its own.And since then, he remained a pivotal figure in Goa politics till his demise in 2019. The BJP under his successor Pramod Sawant is tantalisingly close the BJP’s best ever performance when it won 21 seats in 2012. Having secured the support of three Independents, the BJP has reasons to be sure of forming a government once again in the state.The symbolism behind the BJP’s success in retaining power after the Parrikar era is significant. The party is out of the shadow of its tall leader.The Goa election results are also a stamp of approval on the popularity of the Modi government’s welfare and the personal popularity of the Prime Minister.However, the 2022 election results when traced on map of Goa present another important picture. While the BJP has strengthened its core base among the Hindus in the North and interior parts of the state, the coastal areas – predominantly inhabited by the Catholics – have voted in strength for the Congress.From Calangute in the North to Quepem in the South, the Congress has found the success in this region. With its votes finding string representation in the Catholic citadel of Goa – the Salcete taluk in South Goa consisting of six seats – Fatorda, Margao, Benaulim, Navelim, Curtorim, Nuvem, Cuncolim, and Velim.Though the region has always been dominated by the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Aadmi Party has broken in this time by winning Benaulim and Velim. The Arvind Kejriwal-led political entity success is a signal of Goans’ acceptance to change after having voted for the BJP, Congress and a bunch of regional parties that have drawn their political mileage by playing the role of kingmakers in the state.AAP has been serious about Goa for a while now, and given the stunner it has delivered in Punjab, it’s certain that Kejriwal and his brand of politics will find increasing resonance in the state.