MARGAO
As the Congress’s ‘Goy Rakhonn’ juggernaut rolled into South Goa on Sunday, with a target of winning 15 of the 20 seats and an agenda to make a clean sweep in Salcete, the party leadership faces a host of challenges as well as opportunities.
The principal Opposition party is making a determined bid to regain lost ground and return to power in 2027. However, several issues continue to stare the party in the face — from the unanswered question of an alliance with like-minded parties and internal leadership challenges to the selection of candidates and the question of whether to open the party’s doors to newcomers and old players alike.
None other than Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Girish Chodankar has said that if the Congress is to come to power, the party should win at least 15 of the 20 seats at stake in South Goa. His further assertion that the Congress should make a clean sweep of all eight seats in Salcete indicates that the party is aware that any slip-up in Salcete in particular, and South Goa in general, could once again leave it stranded midway in its bid to return to power in 2027.
Sources, however, say that is easier said than done. Chodankar, who was GPCC chief in 2022, knows better than most that the party’s chances of returning to power that year faded after it managed to win just five of the 20 seats in South Goa, including only three of the eight seats in Salcete – a result which many had attributed to leadership issues, bad choice of candidates and split in the non-BJP vote.
Yatra enters South Goa, but no early sign of alliance
As the Goy Rakhonn Yatra enters South Goa on Sunday, which will culminate in a grand meeting in Cuncolim to be attended by members of the Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, a solution to the alliance tangle continues to elude the Congress.
South Goa in general, and Salcete in particular, which accounts for 20 of Goa’s 40 Assembly seats, is a political chessboard where various non-BJP parties have their own spheres of influence. Along its route, the yatra is expected to pass through areas that have traditionally been strongholds of like-minded political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party and the Goa Forward Party.
This assumes significance against the backdrop of the failure of like-minded non-BJP parties, including the Congress, AAP and Goa Forward, to so far stitch together a united front against the BJP.
The issue assumes even greater importance in minority-dominated Salcete, where the Congress fared poorly in 2022, winning just three of the eight seats at stake, primarily because of a vertical split in the non-BJP vote.
Against this backdrop, the Congress faces a critical question: Can the party afford to go it alone in the coming Assembly elections, or does it need to stitch together an alliance with like-minded parties to make a clean sweep in Salcete like in 2017?
Opportunity knocks as Congress seeks return to power
Political observers say the Goy Rakhonn Yatra offers the Congress an opportunity to bounce back and strengthen its position to take on the BJP in the upcoming polls.
Party insiders say the public mood and sentiment suggest that there are growing voices calling for a change in the coming election. They, however, sounded a word of caution that the opportunity could go waste unless the party resolves its internal issues and reaches out to potential alliance partners to prevent a split in the non-BJP vote.
“Post-2024 Lok Sabha results, where the Congress retained the South Goa seat, the public sentiment is looking for a change. In the Lok Sabha election, people came out on their own to vote for Captain Viriato Fernandes since there was no other major non-BJP party contesting the election,” sources said.
Sources added: “A similar situation is prevailing across the countryside. But this time, we are going for the Assembly elections. We should not forget that an Assembly election is an entirely different ball game. Many players and parties will be in the fray. Unless the vote is channelised against the ruling dispensation, it may result in a division of the vote.”
Cong calls on South Goa to join ‘Goy Rakhonn’ push for change
Congress top brass making an appeal to the people of South Goa to join the Goy Rakhonn Yatra in the district from Sunday.
MARGAO: The Congress leadership on Sunday extended an invitation to the people of South Goa to join the party’s Goy Rakhonn Yatra and help to bring about a change in government in the 2027 elections.
Party top leadership comprising of Congress Goa desk in-charge, Manikrao Thakare, Secretary Anjali Nimbalkar, GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Working presidents Altone D’Costa and M K Sheikh addressed the media at the South district office to make an appeal to the people of the district to participate in the rally.
Addressing the media, Opposition leader Yuri Alemao said the time has come for the people to join hands to send the BJP home. “Many say there is an undercurrent against the BJP. I want to say this is not just a wave but there is a tsunami against the government. We are confident that the people of Goa will send the BJP home in the coming elections,” he said.
He appealed to the people in general, including the youth, women, professionals, members of the civil society, etc to participate in the yatra. “We appeal to the people to join the mand where people showcase the State’s culture and heritage,” he added.
Manikrao Thakare said the party received an encouraging response to the Goy Rakhonn Yatra in North Goa, saying the party is expecting to win around 12-13 seats in the district. “The Congress would protect Goa’s land, health, education, environment, tourism and children. South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes is given the task to prepare the election manifesto after seeking inputs and feedback from the people,” he added.
While making an appeal to the people to join the yatra in South Goa, GPCC chief Girish Chodankar said the yatra in North Goa evoked very good response. He requested the people participating in the yatra to submit their views in the suggestion box.
