Congress leaders welcome three-time Navelim ZP member Cipru Cardozo and his supporters into the party on Saturday. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The Congress has begun preparing for the 2027 fight to win back the Navelim seat by welcoming three-time Navelim Zilla Panchayat member Edwin Cipru Cardozo into the party. Party leaders urged Navelkars to be cautious of parties trying to divide the traditional Congress vote to help the BJP.
They asked voters not to repeat the 2022 mistake, when a split in non-BJP votes allowed the BJP to win Navelim for the first time. The Congress leaders said they would not be afraid of parties threatening to contest in Navelim and Margao and made it clear they will contest their traditional seats under any circumstances.
Congress Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakre, secretary Dr Anjali Nimbalkar, GPCC chief Amit Patkar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, and others welcomed Cipru Cardozo and his supporters into the party on Saturday evening.
In his speech, Yuri Alemao said Congress is the only option for Goans, as other parties have shown they work with the BJP. Without naming any party, he said these parties have shown their links with the BJP and warned Congress workers to choose allies carefully in the future. “Do not repeat the 2022 mistake. These parties will try to split our votes using money. If you repeat the mistake, it will affect your future and your children’s future,” he said.
He added, “We are not afraid of these parties. We know who has been trying to weaken Congress since 2007 and was with the late Manohar Parrikar. These attempts started in 2007, not 2017.”
GPCC chief Amit Patkar said the people of Goa never gave the BJP a mandate to rule. He noted that even in 2027, the BJP won only 13 seats and came to power through the backdoor. “The BJP returned to power in 2012 over many promises but since then has changed many laws to sell Goa,” he said.
Patkar added, “The BJP knows it cannot win on its own, so it uses sleeper cells to divide the non-BJP vote. Navelkars should not repeat the 2022 mistake.”
Manikrao Thakre accused the RSS of spreading lies that Congress is against Hindus. “Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Congress is working to take all communities together,” he said.
Thakre said the party would soon begin its candidate selection process for the 2027 Assembly election and would announce candidates after that. He urged Navelim voters to support Congress as they did in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Cipru Cardozo said the people of Navelim will not allow the non-BJP vote to split again. “Some people hope Congress votes will split to help the BJP, but I have joined Congress as it is the only party that can form the next government,” he said.
South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes said the BJP’s win in Navelim in 2022 with just 5,330 votes was a slap on the face of Navelkars.
“In the coming election, we need to give the BJP a fitting reply by ensuring the non-BJP vote is not divided,” he said.
