MARGAO
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national leadership on Wednesday has decided to formally discuss with the Congress top leadership the issue of forging an alliance for the 2022 Goa Assembly polls.
A delegation comprising NCP lone Goa MLA Churchill Alemao along with daughter Valanka and Prafulla Hede called on NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and National general secretary Praful Patel in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss NCP poll preparedness for the Goa election and the issue of alliance with like-minded political
parties.
The meeting assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the 10-day deadline set by Churchill to the NCP leadership to take a call on the issue of alliance with the Congress or go alone in the ensuing polls.
Sources said both Pawar and Patel are believed to have assured the delegation that the duo will hold discussions with the Congress top leadership in Delhi before October-end.
Churchill expressed satisfaction over the discussions the delegation had with both Pawar and Patel, saying the party will wait for the Congress to reciprocate the NCP offer for an alliance.
He said the NCP leadership will take a call on how to go about the ensuing polls in Goa in the event the Congress wants to go alone in the polls.
Sources said the party will stake claim for as many as 7-8 Assembly seats across the state. It could, however, not be ascertained whether the party has mooted any proposal to give tickets to some of the Congress-turned-BJP MJLAs to contest on the party banner.
Prafulla Hede told The Goan that the NCP supremo and the National general secretary Patel has decided to hold discussions with the Congress leadership before the month-end.
It is learnt the party leadership will hold talks with the Congress leaders in a bid to explore the possibility of forging an alliance of like-minded parties to unitedly fight the ensuing polls.
