The Congress’s troubleshooter DK Shivakumar is in fire-fighting mode, once again. This time, in the coastal state of Goa as the party’s “last resort”.

While the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Goa are preparing to herd their MLAs to nearby resorts, Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress chief, has been instructed by the party high command to ensure their Goa Congress flock stays together, even if it means keeping them locked inside a resort.

Shivakumar confirmed to News 18 that he will be in Goa as it is his “duty as a party worker”.

“An entire team of leaders from Karnataka has worked hard and done its best, so I will be there as a party worker of a neighbouring state to help my leaders,” he said.

Shivakumar has earlier famously herded elected Karnataka MLAs to resorts to shield them from poaching by the BJP.

STRATEGIC TIMEOUT

Determined not to repeat the 2017 fiasco, when the Congress tripped over its own feet and lost its chance to form the government, Shivakumar has been sent to assist senior Congressmen P Chidambaram and Dinesh Gundu Rao to iron out issues, if any.

The Congress high command has also changed its strategy for the tiny, yet crucial state with 40 assembly seats, by sending the best troubleshooters to camp there ahead of the counting day.

ALSO READ | As Exit Polls Point to Fractured Mandate in Goa, Cong Back to Resort Politics to Avoid 2017 Redux

Chidambaram and Rao have been in Goa for months to resolve the internal friction and stop defections.

In a similar effort, Goa’s incumbent CM Pramod Sawant and Goa BJP chief Sadanand Tanavade rushed to Delhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called them for a meeting. Soon after, BJP sources told News18 that Sawant and Tanavade are in Mumbai to meet Goa in-charge Devendra Fadnavis and come up with a plan.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2017?

In 2017, the Goa Congress, despite being the single largest party by winning 17 of the 40 seats, did not form the government as three former chief ministers, Luizinho Faleiro, Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane, quarrelled long and hard at hotel Mandovi to be selected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.

Meanwhile, the Goa BJP turned to then defence minister Manohar Parrikar and union minister Nitin Gadkari. Parikkar huddled up along with 13 of their MLAs in a five-star resort in Dona Paula to try and cobble up numbers for the BJP and stake claim to form the government.

ALSO READ | ‘Hung Assembly’ Threat in Goa & U’khand, Sawant Meets PM in Delhi, BJP Gen Secy in Huddle in Doon

With Goa having thrown up a fractured mandate, regional parties such as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward Party, which had three MLAs each, were up for grabs. Hours after Gadkari landed in Goa, in one quick phone call to the BJP high command, a decision to persuade MGP and GFP to align with them was made. With the support of NCP, MGP, GFP and independents, Parrikar was sworn in as Goa’s chief minister on March 14.

This time around, Shivakumar will play Gadkari’s role for the Congress in Goa. Held in high regard by his partymen for his relentless fighting spirit and loyalty to the party, it is this quality that the Congress wants to exploit if they manage to cobble up enough seats to form the government in Goa.

TRIED AND TESTED

An example of how Shivakumar can turn things around could be seen in Karnataka after the 2018 polls. The Karnataka BJP had won 105 seats to become the single-largest party in the Karnataka assembly, while the Congress got only 78 seats and the JD(S) 37. The BJP floundered to grapple support of MLAs as they fell short of eight to hit the majority mark. Shivakumar watched over the legislators on the outskirts of Bengaluru and took away their mobiles to ensure they remained incommunicado, even to their families.

Even on the day Yediyurappa moved for a trust vote in July 2019, Shivakumar swung into action and locked two dissident Congress MLAs, Pratap Gouda Patil and Anand Singh, in a hotel room to ensure they voted in favour of the JDS-Congress coalition. Both the MLAs were dilly-dallying about their support to Yediyurappa.

Along with the now familiar “resort politics”, the Congress has also made its Goa candidates take an oath of allegiance, albeit symbolically.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.