PANAJI
Ahead of crucial Zilla Panchayat elections, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing it of deliberately working to split opposition votes instead of taking on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a press conference, GPCC chief Amit Patkar alleged that AAP, led by Kejriwal, has no real presence on the ground in Goa and is focused solely on targeting the Congress. “Kejriwal, during his recent visit to Goa, held so-called ZP meetings and attacked Congress in every interaction, but we have not seen a single statement from AAP against the BJP,” Patkar said.
He further claimed that even regional outfits like the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) have been attacking Congress, while sparing the BJP.
“Except for Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP), not a single opposition party is questioning or attacking the BJP. The question is”whom are these parties really supporting?” Patkar asked.
Reiterating that AAP’s political agenda in Goa is limited to dividing anti-BJP votes, Patkar said, “The people of Goa are fighting against the BJP, but AAP is fighting against Congress. I don’t see any meaningful presence of AAP on the ground. Their only objective is to weaken the principal opposition.”
Patkar asserted that the ZP election results would offer a clear indication of the political mood in the State ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. “The ZP results will clearly reflect where the people of Goa stand and will throw light on the direction of the 2027 polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, AICC Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare expressed confidence that Congress is well placed to emerge victorious in the ZP elections. He said the alliance with GFP has strengthened the party’s position across the State.
“Congress is in a very strong position in Goa for the ZP elections. With the alliance of GFP, we are confident of winning a majority,” Thakare said, adding that public sentiment is strongly against the BJP government.
Thakare said widespread frustration and anger against the BJP were evident during the campaign. “People are anguished due to deteriorating law and order, failed governance and the government’s inability to address even a single public-centric issue. These issues have come up repeatedly during our interactions with voters,” he said.
Congress leaders maintained that the ZP polls would serve as a referendum on the BJP government’s performance and reaffirmed that the party remains the principal force challenging the ruling dispensation in Goa.
