Raia ZP: Will Goa Forward succeed in its first test?

Can Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai expand party base in Salcete from the Raia ZP constituency?

MARGAO
Will the Goa Forward Party’s decision to test the Zilla Panchayat political waters by contesting a seat in Raia help the regional party expand its base in Salcete and beyond ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections?

This marks perhaps the first time in Goa Forward’s political history that the party has entered the Zilla Panchayat fray. After the Congress conceded the Raia seat in Salcete to the Goa Forward Party as part of the Congress-GFP alliance, the regional outfit left no stone unturned in its bid to secure a victory.

During the campaign, the party had to grapple with the influential Dominic Gaonkar family, which has held sway over the Raia seat for the past two decades, apart from facing challenges from Independents, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the Revolutionary Goans Party.

Questions are raised whether the Congress decision to concede the Raia seat has in any way resulted in the shifting of the Congress votes to the Goa Forward Party candidate.

Political observers note that Goa Forward covered considerable ground in the final three days of campaigning, raising questions over whether this late surge could help the party clinch the seat and open its Zilla Panchayat account in Salcete.