THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Amid growing signs of internal unrest in the Goa Congress and speculation over a possible split ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal Rao arrived in the State on Friday on a damage-control mission aimed at restoring unity within the party.
Rao is scheduled to hold a series of one-on-one meetings with newly appointed Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar, senior party functionaries and legislators to assess the political situation and understand the reasons behind the simmering discontent within the State unit.
His visit comes against the backdrop of reports that a section of Congress leaders is unhappy with the recent organisational changes, particularly the replacement of former GPCC president Amit Patkar.
Sources said Rao is also expected to meet Patkar, who has reportedly been sidelined following the leadership change and is believed to be the driving force behind efforts to float a new political outfit, The Goa Congress Party.
According to sources, Rao will interact individually with several district and block-level leaders to gauge the mood within the organisation and identify the causes of the growing unrest. The high command is understood to be keen on preventing any further erosion of the party's support base.
