GPCC chief Girish Chodankar and his team wishing Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on his birthday. Ex-GPCC chief Amit Patkar and his team separately extending birthday wishes to Sardesai at Goemkar Ghor.
MARGAO
In a politically significant development, leaders from both factions of the Goa Congress separately visited Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai on Sunday to wish him on his birthday, fuelling speculation over future political alignments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
In the morning, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar, accompanied by Youth Congress president Archit Desai and Kushavati district president Rajesh Verenkar, called on Sardesai at Goemkar Ghor and presented him with a bouquet.
Later, outgoing GPCC president Amit Patkar led a large delegation of Congress leaders and workers to greet the GFP chief. The visit drew attention from political observers, who viewed it as more than a routine courtesy call.
While the presence of both Chodankar and Patkar camps may be explained by the Congress-GFP alliance, the visits assume significance amid ongoing developments within the Congress and Sardesai’s recent hints that the GFP could consider contesting the 2027 Assembly elections independently.
Patkar’s visit, in particular, attracted attention as he arrived with a sizeable contingent of party leaders and workers, a move some observers interpreted as an effort to assert his political relevance amid the ongoing factional tussle.
The delegation included former Congress treasurer Orville Dourado, general secretaries Everson Vales and Manisha Usgaonkar, former South Goa district president Savio D’Silva, several block presidents, office-bearers and party workers.
The twin visits have added to political chatter, with observers closely watching for signs of evolving opposition equations ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
