...Looks beyond Fatorda; casts the dice in Navelim, Margao; Navelim move comes ahead of Cong’s induction of Cipru
Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai with the members of the newly-constituted Navelim block headed by Anthony Colaco.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The rift in the Opposition unity appeared to widen on Tuesday as the Goa Forward party, an ally of the Congress party and a member of the INDIA Bloc made a bold move to expand party base beyond Fatorda.
Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai announced party’s formal entry into Navelim constituency, setting the stage for the Zilla Panchayat polls due later this year.
In another move, the party chief also unveiled plans in Margao as well ahead of the 2026 civic polls for the Margao Municipal Council. This is perhaps the first time in Goa Forward party’s political history that the regional party has set its eyes beyond Fatorda, in Navelim and Margao.
The timing of Goa Forward’s moves has raised many an eyebrow in political circles. For, the move to enter into Navelim comes just four days before Congress party’s scheduled induction of three-time Zilla Panchayat member Cipru Cardozo in the party-fold on July 5. And, it’s a strange coincidence that Sardesai’s move to enter Margao has come after a month after the Congress inducted city-businessman Chirag Naik in the party.
When the media sought to know from the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai on the state of Opposition unity, he shot back saying, “ask the Opposition leader if there is an united Opposition. The BJP will try to divide the Opposition, but is the Opposition even united.”
Asked whether the regional party will go to other Assembly constituencies as well to contest the ZP polls, the Goa Forward party president said, “This is the first step which the party has taken to strengthen the party in Navelim.”
To a question whether the Goa Forward will have any tie-up with other Opposition parties in the 2026 civic polls for the Margao Municipal body, Sardesai raised doubts about the very existence of opposition in Margao. “Is there any opposition in Margao to have an alliance,” he counter questioned. In the past, I had tied up with Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to form the Margao Civic Alliance to jointly fight the MMC polls. After Kamat’s exit, is there any opposition in the city?”
In an indirect reference to the Congress party, Sardesai said, “we cannot see anyone in Margao who has gone to the grassroots. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, I had done the ground work for the Congress candidate along with former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho. There was no one else there on the ground in the election.”
On entering Margao, the Goa Forward chief said the party will certainly descend in Margao, saying, “there is fear amongst the people. They need a voice and we will take care of their aspirations by entering Margao”.
In yet another salvo, Sardesai said, “Some parties are on the job to identify candidates with money bag. But, money is not the only criteria to win elections. The candidates should have the people to back them. On our part, we are going to the people.”
