MARGAO
Against the backdrop of strained relations and a deadlock over alliance talks between the two parties, a two-member Congress delegation comprising South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes and party working president M K Sheikh called on Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday.
Sources said Fernandes and Sheikh held a lengthy meeting with Sardesai at Goemkar Ghor, the headquarters of the regional party. However, the marathon discussions failed to make any headway, with Sardesai understood to have raised a host of questions about the alliance and sought clarity from the Congress delegation.
With the meeting yielding no breakthrough, the status quo over the alliance continues, with Goa Forward maintaining its decision to suspend talks with the Congress.
The Goan understands that the two-member Congress delegation was drafted for discussions with the Goa Forward chief by All India Congress Committee Goa desk in-charge, Manikrao Thakare. Sources said Thakare tried to reach the Goa Forward chief over the phone before the Viriato-Sheikh duo descended at the Goemkar Ghor for discussions, but in vain.
The outreach assumes significance against the backdrop of Sardesai repeatedly alleging that the Congress could witness a “hat-trick of defections” in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections. Sardesai had earlier said there was little benefit for his party in reviving the alliance and had expressed fears of post-poll defections.
The meeting also comes at a time when Sardesai has been seen closely with Aam Aadmi Party MLA Venzy Viegas. The duo, along with outgoing Congress president Amit Patkar, has been making common cause against the BJP government ahead of the 2027 polls. Their political proximity has triggered speculation about the emergence of a possible third front comprising non-BJP and non-Congress forces in Goa.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Sardesai is understood to have told the Congress delegation that its latest outreach did not inspire confidence, particularly in view of his earlier attempts to merge Goa Forward with the principal Opposition party, which were allegedly cold-shouldered by the Congress leadership.
Sources in the Congress camp admitted that the attempt to break the ice with its potential alliance partner had failed to produce any tangible outcome. Sources close to Goa Forward, meanwhile, said Sardesai not only raised several questions but also sought answers from the Congress representatives on the party’s position on the alliance.
The Congress delegation is expected to submit a report to Thakare following the meeting. The AICC is likely to take a call on the future course of the alliance talks based on the report.
