(File photos) How the Congress handles the Aam Aadmi Party factor will be keenly watched assuming the party forges an alliance with the Goa Forward Party after the Revolutionary Goans Party. AAP Venzy Viegas celebrating his victory and the victory of his party in 2022, sending a message loud and clear that the Arvind Kejriwal’s party has come to stay in Goan politics.
MARGAO
After stitching up an alliance with the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), led by MLA Viresh Borkar, the Congress has now opened talks with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) to forge a broader Opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The principal Opposition party is apparently eyeing a clean sweep of the eight Assembly constituencies in Salcete, traditionally considered its stronghold.
However, the Congress has a long way to go before it can translate its electoral ambitions into reality in Salcete. Apart from the challenge posed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the party will also have to contend with other non-BJP parties and independent candidates who could enter the electoral fray.
The AAP factor, in particular, cannot be overlooked. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party won the Benaulim and Velim constituencies in the 2022 Assembly elections, opening its electoral account in Goa. Going by its recent political activities, AAP appears keen to consolidate its presence not only across all eight constituencies in Salcete but also in other parts of the State.
The repeated visits of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s Goa Desk in-charge, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena, indicate that the party is keen to maintain its political momentum in Goa ahead of the crucial electoral battle.
This raises an important question for the Congress: Can it emerge victorious across Salcete without an electoral understanding with AAP, particularly when the party’s sitting MLAs, especially Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, appears determined to challenge the Congress on its home turf?
A comparison of the 2017 and 2022 Assembly election results reveals that AAP has steadily expanded its electoral footprint in Goa. From a modest presence in 2017, the party went on to win Benaulim and Velim in 2022, marking a significant breakthrough.
More importantly, AAP demonstrated its electoral potential in other Salcete constituencies as well, polling substantial votes in Navelim, Nuvem and Curtorim.
Against this backdrop, the Congress faces a crucial electoral test. Is the party confident of containing the AAP challenge and reclaiming its traditional stronghold by banking on the consolidation of minority votes against the ruling BJP?
Cong-RGP-GFP
alliance factor
If the ongoing alliance talks between the Congress and the Goa Forward Party culminate in an electoral pact, the understanding could once again see the Congress conceding the Fatorda constituency to the regional party in the 2027 elections.
This would effectively leave the Congress with seven of the eight Assembly constituencies in Salcete to contest, throwing up another significant question: Will the RGP, led by MLA Viresh Borkar, leave the entire Salcete belt to its alliance partners, or will it stake a claim to a couple of seats in the minority-dominated taluka?
The question assumes significance in view of the inroads made by the RGP into Salcete during the 2022 Assembly elections. Although the regional party failed to win a seat in the taluka, its electoral performance helped shore up its overall vote share and demonstrated its potential to influence electoral outcomes.
As things stand, it remains unclear whether the RGP is prepared to concede all eight Salcete constituencies to its alliance partners, particularly given its encouraging electoral debut in 2022.
The ongoing factional battle within the regional party has added another dimension to the political calculations. Questions are also being raised over whether the rival RGP faction could field candidates across all eight constituencies in Salcete, potentially splitting the anti-BJP vote and complicating the Congress’s electoral prospects.
Such a move, if it materialises, could pose a fresh challenge to the Congress, especially in the minority-dominated constituencies of the taluka.
Multiple players threaten to split opposition vote
MARGAO: While the proposed Opposition alliance is being projected as an attempt to unite all non-BJP forces against the ruling party, the possibility of other political outfits and independent candidates entering the electoral fray cannot be ruled out.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), for instance, has already conducted preliminary surveys in some constituencies and shortlisted potential candidates. The party, which contests under the Clock symbol, is expected to step up its political activities once the ongoing efforts to bring together the two NCP factions in Maharashtra reach a conclusion.
Similarly, the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) has indicated its intention to revive its political presence in Goa. The party leadership has admitted that it has approached the Election Commission of India, seeking a review of the decision to remove the regional outfit from the list of registered political parties in the State.
The move assumes significance given the UGDP’s once-considerable influence in Salcete. Its efforts to regain its registered status suggest that the regional outfit could be looking to make a political comeback ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Adding to the uncertainty, former MLAs, including former Congress leaders who defected to other parties, as well as other political aspirants, could also throw their hats into the electoral ring, either as Independents or under the banners of political parties.
With AAP seeking to expand its footprint, the RGP negotiating its political space, the Goa Forward Party eyeing Fatorda, and other regional outfits and individual aspirants potentially entering the fray, the electoral battle in Salcete is unlikely to be a straightforward contest between the Congress and the BJP.
The crucial question heading into 2027 is whether the Congress can consolidate the Opposition vote under its leadership or whether the growing presence of AAP and other political players will upset its calculations in its traditional stronghold.
