MARGAO
A day after AAP Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said that only an alliance of the Opposition can checkmate the BJP in the 2027 Assembly election, Congress leaders have demanded to know why the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to go alone in the ensuing elections for the Delhi Legislative Assembly by declaring party candidates.
In fact, South Goa district Congress president Savio D’Silva on Saturday said the Congress will contest all 50 Zilla Panchayat constituencies in the ZP elections scheduled for 2025. He further reminded the AAP leadership that the Congress has a strong base in South Goa, as evidenced by the party’s successive victories in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
After AAP MLA Venzy claimed that he, along with AAP leaders, had a meeting with Congress leaders in Delhi to discuss Goa’s political situation, including alliances of Opposition parties to fight the 2027 Assembly election, Savio said the Goa leadership of the Congress is unaware of any such meeting between AAP and Congress leaders in Delhi.
“I spoke to GPCC chief Amit Patkar to verify the claims made by Venzy Viegas about the AAP-Congress meeting in Delhi. Amit feigned ignorance about such a meeting. The AAP MLA has said people want the Opposition to unite in 2027, but I want to tell you that people will decide whom to vote for in the election,” he said.
Addressing the media, Savio disputed the claim made by the AAP MLA that the Congress is not in existence, adding that the Congress is very much alive, not just in South Goa, but also in Benaulim. “There’s an impression that the Congress is weak in Benaulim. This may be because the Congress had no MLA in the last 20 years, but we will make sure that Benaulim will have a Congress MLA in 2027,” he asserted.
On the alliance with AAP in future elections, the South Goa district president said Congress workers from Benaulim were left dejected when the party left the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat seat for the by-poll in 2024. He, however, hastened to add that the party had left the Benaulim ZP seat to AAP since the latter had helped the Congress in the Lok Sabha election. “The Congress had also left the Benaulim ZP seat to the AAP since it is a by-poll for a short tenure of just one year and a half,” he said, adding that the Congress will contest all 50 ZP seats in the 2025 Zilla Panchayat election, including Benaulim.
He said the local party leadership, comprising of GPCC chief Amit Patkar, MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, and the three MLAs, will discuss the issue of an alliance. He, however, pointed out that the Congress blocks across Goa want the Congress to fight the 2025 Zilla Panchayat elections in all 50 seats.
Yuri plays safe, says Congress will take call on alliance decision at right time
MARGAO: Opposition leader Yuri Alemao seemed to have played safe on the question of alliance of Opposition parties in the 2027 Assembly election, saying the time is to strengthen all forces to protect Goa from growing hatred and discord, and to defeat attempts of factions trying to create communal tensions. About the alliance of the 2027 assembly election, Yuri said the party will take the decision at the right time in the interest of the people of Goa. “Till then let us unite for our Mannkulem Goem and fight against the pressing issues creating harm to people and destroying our State,” Yuri added.
