MARGAO
Battleground Salcete -- where as many as nine seats are at stake out of the total 25 seats of the South Goa Zilla Panchayat going to the polls in November 2025.
Indeed, battle lines appear drawn and may trigger a turf war between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in the minority stronghold of Salcete in the coming election with the Aam Aadmi Party deciding to go solo in the ensuing Zilla Panchayat polls.
For, compared to the remaining talukas, Aam Aadmi Party’s presence is more felt in minority dominated Salcete, which coincidentally has been the Congress bastion over the years. Besides, local political parties, including the Revolutionary Goans and individuals are also expected to vie for a slice of the same political space in Salcete in the ZP polls.
At stake for the Congress are the nine seats spread across Salcete’s countryside, which can make or mar the party’s prospects of regaining hold over the South Goa Zilla Panchayat and set the stage for the battle to checkmate the BJP in 2027.
Here, barring one or two seats, the BJP’s presence is negligible in the remaining seven seats in Salcete. Against this backdrop, AAP’s decision to go solo in the coming ZP polls will result in the inevitable “ the Congress and AAP crossing swords in the battle for supremacy in minority dominated taluka.
Composition of Salcete
seats in the South Goa ZP
A glance at the present composition of the nine seats of Salcete in the South Goa Zilla Panchayat shows that the Congress had bagged three out of the nine seats at stake, two seats represented by the BJP, one each seat represented by the Aam Aadmi Party and the Nationalist Congress party and two Independents.
A bare analysis of the composition of ZP seats shows that the Congress fort in Salcete had developed cracks in the 2020 Zilla Panchayat polls, before the fort finally crumbled in the 2022 Assembly polls. The Congress had managed to win just three of the nine seats at stake. On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party had opened its tally in Goa in the 2020 ZP polls by winning the Benaulim ZP seat, in the bargain relegating mainstream parties, including the Congress and the Nationalist Congress party, to the background.
Against this backdrop, Congress leadership will certainly go back to the drawing board to analyse and assess the fall out of Aam Aadmi Party’s decision to go solo in the coming ZP polls, besides the 2026 Civic polls and the 2027 Goa Assembly election.
