PANAJI
A day after nearly all hope was lost, prospects of an Opposition alliance for the December 20 Zilla Panchayat elections gained momentum on Saturday, as leaders of the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) and the Goa Forward Party held separate discussions with AICC Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare in Panaji.
The meetings, described as a last-ditch effort to forge unity, saw the Congress high command place a fresh proposal before the RGP.
“There has been positive discussion on the alliance and the final decision will be taken on Sunday,” Thakare told reporters after the talks.
GPCC president Amit Patkar, senior leader MK Sheikh, RGP president Manoj Parab, RGP MLA Viresh Borkar, and Goa Forward president Vijay Sardesai participated in the parleys.
However, the three parties did not meet jointly. Sardesai held a half-hour discussion with the Congress leaders first before departing, after which the Congress and RGP engaged in a longer, hour-and-a-half meeting.
Speaking after the talks, Parab said the RGP had outlined constituencies and talukas it had left uncontested from the beginning. He added that discussions also touched upon the issue of alliance partners reclaiming MLAs who had defected to the BJP, as well as the timing of candidate announcements in the event of a coalition.
“We will present this proposal to our members. If they approve, we will attend another meeting on Sunday. If not, we have made it clear that no further meetings will be held,” Parab said, adding that any decision would be announced at a press conference with reasons explained.
Thakare, meanwhile, maintained that both sides had adopted a positive stance. “What was discussed and how the alliance is moving forward will be known on Sunday. Everything will be sealed and announced,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sardesai reiterated his party's commitment to its alliance with the Congress.
“Our alliance was with the Congress before and will continue. We have conveyed our constituencies, and work is underway there. Congress is our senior constituent and will decide seat allocation. We will not use pressure tactics,” he said.
With the clock ticking down on the ZP polls, the Congress, RGP and GFP camps remain on edge, each of the parties and their cadres awaiting clarity on whether the three parties will finally unite.
