Says parties must focus on winning rather than just participating in polls
PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sweeping victory in the Zilla Panchayat elections has triggered contentious debate among opposition parties, with leaders across the spectrum arguing that fractured contests -- rather than voter endorsement alone -- tilted the balance decisively in the ruling party’s favour.
While opposition voices agreed that a united front is the only viable path to challenge the BJP in 2027, deep mistrust, accusations of vote-splitting and competing claims of political credibility continue to complicate that objective.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao said the results underscored the cost of opposition disunity. He was quick to reiterate his call for a comprehensive alliance ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
“If Goa and its people are to win, all political parties must come together,” Alemao said, arguing that opposition parties had polled votes close to BJP candidates in several constituencies but lost due to multi-cornered fights.
Stressing urgency, Alemao said the Congress was prepared to make political compromises for the sake of the state. “Goa comes first. Goa is burning today. There is corruption all around,” he said.
He insisted that opposition parties must focus on winning rather than merely participating in elections. A broader opposition alliance, he said, could have performed much better in the ZP polls.
Echoing the argument that vote fragmentation benefited the BJP, Congress Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare pointedly blamed AAP for splitting the anti-BJP vote. During the campaign, AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi, had repeatedly targeted the Congress, branding it the BJP’s “B-team.”
“The results tell a different story,” Thakare said, noting that while the Congress improved its tally, AAP failed to convert its extensive contesting into electoral success. The outcome, he argued, showed that voters had rejected what he termed “divisive politics” and strengthened the Congress as the principal opposition force in the state.
However, the possibility of a unified opposition remains fraught. Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) MLA Viresh Borkar said that while a grand alliance was the only option to defeat the BJP in 2027, trust remained a key obstacle particularly with the Congress leadership in Goa.
“RGP is ready to take the lead in forming a grand alliance, but we do not trust the Congress,” Borkar said, alleging that the party’s state leadership was working in favour of the BJP.
He said RGP had performed well in both North and South Goa during the ZP polls and had stronger grassroots support than AAP or the Goa Forward Party.
Borkar said any future alliance would require clear conditions, including transparent seat-sharing talks and the exclusion of leaders who encourage defections. “We will have to keep our egos aside and play clean politics. Without structural changes in Congress leadership, cooperation would remain difficult," he opined.
The Goan tried contacting AAP President Amit Palekar but he remained unavailable for comment.
