Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro is one smart cookie. First, he teamed up with dissident minister under former chief minister Wilfred D'Souza, Dayanand Narvekar, to come to power. Next he convinced Congress party president Sonia Gandhi to let him allot plum portfolios to all the defectors (prodigal sons returning home).

But politicians in Goa, like elsewhere, in the country are fond of musical chairs and the new CM is required do some more deft footwork. Congress party `loyalists' who felt sidelined under the new dispensation have now joined hands for a larger share of the booty. Some of them, at a conclave organised here shortly after the allocation of portfolios, even threatened to resign their memberships of the House. That would certainly put the CM in a spot considering that he has a majority of just one in the 40-member house. So will Goa receive fresh elections as a New Year gift! Watch this space.

Bulldozing The Oppn

Unscruplous as they come, political leaders donot hesitate to use strong arm tactics to streamroll the Opposition. The latest to discover this is an Independent legislator, Manuel Fernandes, whose Achilles heel is an illegal beachside hotel. Four months ago the D'Souza government threatened to demolish the structure if he did not switch sides. Fernandes bit the bait and the hotel was saved. This time round Fernandes decided to stay put in the D'Souza camp even at the risk of offending the new incumbent.

Predictably the crackdown last week when local municipal officials brought in bull-dozers. Of course, only a small wall was demolished. It remains to be seen whether the `Independent' MLA will see the writing on the wall.

Doorstep Durbar

There is little money left in the government's treasury. So government has little money to undertake `developmental works.' But the new CM is undaunted. In a major public relations exercise Faleiro has undertaken Durbars or public hearings in various parts of the state on a weekly basis. He has even givenhis team a probation period of three months to solve the problems of the people. Here is hoping that the gamble works!

On The Same Lines

Guess, what compelled a Congress MLA, Sanjay Bandekar, to demand the power portfolio? The gossip in the state government circles is that Bandekar began his career as a linesman in the Electricity department many years ago.In the interim, Bandekar came up in life after a stint in the Gulf. So getting the power portfolio would surely have been a sign of true upward mobility.That Bandrekar didn't get the power portfolio is another story altogether.