MARGAO
Having learnt from past experiences that the regional party was allotted only a handful of seats by alliance partner Congress, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Sunday resolved to launch a statewide outreach programme covering all 40 Assembly constituencies ahead of the next Assembly elections.
The campaign, beginning in Pernem and passing through every taluka before concluding in South Goa, will focus on Gen-Z, women, tribal communities and minorities. The decision was taken at the party’s State Executive meeting chaired by GFP chief Vijai Sardesai at Goemkar Ghor.
The meeting came a day after Sardesai met Congress president Girish Chodankar to initiate alliance talks. Sardesai clarified that seat-sharing and alliance issues did not figure in the discussions.
When asked how long GFP would wait for the Congress to begin seat-sharing talks, Sardesai said the party was not waiting for anyone.
“We are starting our work with the yatra that will cover all 40 Assembly constituencies. We are going to the people to listen to their grievances and work out solutions,” he said, indicating that the party was preparing for all political possibilities.
Referring to the previous elections, Sardesai said Congress had not allotted GFP the number of seats it had sought. “We did not make an issue of it because certain forces tried to create controversy over Goa Forward’s support to the BJP in 2017. In 2022, Congress had senior leader Digambar Kamat. This time, there is no senior leader in the Congress. I am the senior-most legislator among the Opposition MLAs,” he said.
Sardesai said the yatra would help the party understand the concerns of various sections of society, including youth, women, Scheduled Tribes, farmers and fishermen, and formulate people-centric solutions through dialogue.
He said a major part of the three-hour executive meeting was devoted to analysing the recent Gen-Z movement, noting that young voters had demonstrated their growing political influence.
Sardesai also briefed party leaders on his discussions with Chodankar, saying members felt Opposition parties should jointly reach out to people across Goa as they were looking for a united and credible alternative.
He further claimed that although the Chief Minister had indicated elections could be held in February, all indications suggested the polls might be advanced to December. Recent controversies over NEET, E20 fuel and the Ayodhya fund issue, he said, had eroded public confidence in the government, particularly among young voters.
