The ‘local versus outsider’ debate is not just an election issue in Goa; there has been simmering discontent over it. It resurfaces in different ways during election campaigns, especially when established parties use the ‘outsider card’ against newer parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) when the latter try to gain a foothold in the State.
Insider versus outsider
The Lokniti-CSDS survey found that the opinion of Goans only seems to be intensifying on the anti-outsider rhetoric. The survey asked Goa’s voters how serious a threat an outsider poses to Goa’s culture. More than three-fifths said it is a very serious or somewhat serious issue. This is a notable jump from 2017, when around half the voters felt the same (Table 1).
