PANAJI
After shunning an alliance with the Congress in the last two Goa Assembly elections, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has now opened discussions with the principal Opposition party for a possible pre-poll tie-up ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The Goa unit of the NCP, led by its president Jose Philip D'Souza, met Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar on Tuesday, saying the move was in line with directions from the party's national leadership to explore the formation of a broader Opposition alliance to take on the BJP.
"Following directions from our high command, we met the Congress to discuss a possible alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections. The people of Goa want all like-minded parties to come together and form a grand alliance to defeat the BJP," D'Souza told reporters after the meeting.
Drawing parallels with the Opposition's INDIA bloc at the national level, D'Souza said the NCP leadership had made it clear that Congress should spearhead the coalition in Goa.
"Our high command has conveyed that, on the lines of the INDIA alliance, Goa too should have a grand alliance for the 2027 elections. Congress is the principal Opposition party in the State and should take the lead in bringing together like-minded forces," he said.
For the NCP, the latest initiative represents a marked shift from its stand before the 2022 polls. Alliance negotiations with the Congress had collapsed after differences over seat sharing, prompting the party to rule out any tie-up. The NCP subsequently fought the election in alliance with the Shiv Sena.
