PANAJI
The Congress-Goa Forward Party (GFP) alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections is moving closer to formalisation, with the two parties holding positive discussions and the Congress expected to announce the tie-up by the end of this month.
The GFP has sought six constituencies as part of its proposed seat-sharing arrangement, a demand that Congress is understood to be favourably considering, even as its leadership weighs the competing claims of other alliance partners and its own aspirants.
According to party sources, GFP has sought Fatorda, Canacona and Sanguem in South Goa, and Mandrem, Siolim and Saligao in North Goa. GFP has its lone sitting MLA from Fatorda.
The Congress Political Affairs Committee is currently examining the regional party's demand, following which the proposal will be placed before the Congress alliance committee for further deliberations.
“Congress is positive towards the demand and things should move smoothly. We expect everything to fall into place by the end of this month,” sources said.
The proposed understanding with GFP comes amid uncertainty over the future of the Goa First alliance between GFP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Although GFP has not officially announced any decision to walk out of the arrangement, its parallel engagement with Congress has added another dimension to the evolving Opposition equations.
The AAP, meanwhile, has made its position clear, ruling out an alliance with Congress, with leaders of the two parties openly trading charges. This leaves the possibility of a broader Opposition arrangement complicated, even as Congress continues to pursue its efforts to bring like-minded parties together against the BJP.
For Congress, however, the more immediate challenge lies in accommodating the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), which has sought 12-13 seats as part of its proposed electoral understanding with the party.
Congress sources indicated that the leadership was not inclined to accept RGP's demand without first assessing the larger electoral arithmetic. Any seat-sharing arrangement would have to accommodate GFP's six-seat demand, besides the claims of Congress's sitting MLAs (3), established strongholds and other potential winning candidates.
“Before GFP, the RGP issue will also have to be sorted out. We feel things will be okay,” sources said.
The Congress is also understood to be concerned about the internal controversies surrounding RGP and wants the regional party to resolve its organisational and internal issues before the election process gathers momentum.
With GFP's seat demand now under consideration and negotiations with RGP still requiring reconciliation, Congress faces the task of balancing regional allies' ambitions with its own electoral interests.
The coming weeks are expected to be crucial in determining whether Congress can translate its proposed grand alliance into a workable seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the 2027 polls.
