Mumbai : Catholic and Protestant churches have appealed to their members to choose good governance over secularism during the Oct. 15 assembly elections in the state.
Byculla, Mahim, Bandra, Amboli, Kalina, Vakola, Malad, Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai are the regions in and around Mumbai where Christian votes can be a deciding factor in the some of the assembly segments.
Archbishop Oswald Cardinal Gracias, head of the Catholic Church in Mumbai made it clear that the Church will appeal to voters to vote for good governance. “India, and Mumbai of course, needs a government that promises inclusive growth, one that takes care of everybody. Yet, whichever party or candidate people choose to vote for, I exhort them to cast their vote,” he said.
A fraction of the priesthood had diverted its pitch to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during the Lok Sabha election. They had said that the Congress had not served their interests despite years of loyalty. But AAP is not contesting the assembly election. “It is a pity that AAP did not have the ‘winnability’ factor. I have met them, they are such nice people,” Cardinal Gracias said.
Until the Lok Sabha polls in May, the leaders of the faith had made a veiled appeal for the Congress. The new mantra of good governance, however, is the new slogan of the BJP.
The Church of North India (CNI) too has toed the line. Rev John Silas of Christ Church said, “Good governance is a must. Everybody banked on the Congress for a long time but somewhere something went wrong. (Narendra) Modi is extremely articulate as compared to past incumbents. We cannot predict the future but let us at least vote for good people.”
Some Catholic organisations have announced support for BJP and Shiv Sena candidates. The Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) is supporting BJP’s Ashish Shelar in Bandra (W). Bombay Catholic Sabha’s Gordon D’Souza said, “The Cardinal’s message is a huge leap from the traditional stand. We must focus on infrastructure. Good candidates are a must, while secularism is an added advantage.”
A M Sodder, secretary of the Association of Concerned Catholics, says, “Corruption has flourished under the garb of secularism. The Congress-NCP has not given us reservations in government institutes, jobs or special benefits. We will choose good people, irrespective of party or community.”
East Indian Christians have formed the Maharashtra Swaraj Party (MSP), which could nibble at the vote share of mainstream parties. MSP’s five candidates will contest as independents as the party is yet to be registered. Vile Parle candidate Godfrey Pimenta denies that MSP has been propped up to break Christian votes. “Ours is not a party of Christians or East Indians. This time our candidates are Catholics as we had no time to prepare a wider base. We are testing the waters. If we need to contest 227 municipal seats, we need local people from all communities.” D’Souza and Abraham Mathai of Harmony Foundation are pleased that more Christian and East Indians are contesting. But Sodder says, “Their 300-400 votes may influence the margin of victory, not the result.”