Will the meeting of opposition parties scheduled in the State capital shore up the prospects of an alliance between the Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP)? This could well be the first time that the leadership of the Congress and the regional party will sit across the negotiating table to resolve outstanding issues and stitch together an alliance. Congress Goa Desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare is expected to lead the Congress delegation, given his position as chairperson of the party’s alliance panel, while Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai is expected to represent the regional outfit at the talks. Will Sunday’s meeting bring the two parties closer? Wait and watch.
A fresh round of talks, an old merger proposal
As the Congress and the Goa Forward Party gear up for talks on Sunday, political circles are abuzz with questions over how the two parties plan to approach the upcoming elections. The Congress and the Goa Forward Party have been alliance partners since the 2022 Assembly elections. In the recent past, however, the regional party had even floated a proposal to merge with the Congress. Much water has flowed down the River Sal since then, particularly after the Congress gave the merger proposal a cold shoulder. Will the two parties revisit the merger proposal, or will they focus on continuing their existing alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections? Wait and watch.
Vijai’s Fatorda campaign gathers early momentum
Amid the ongoing alliance talks, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai has kick-started a door-to-door campaign in his home turf of Fatorda ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The three-time Fatorda MLA began his outreach from Madel ward. Sources say the Goa Forward chief has drawn up an elaborate plan to visit every household in his constituency before the polls. Political observers, meanwhile, are trying to read between the lines. Is the door-to-door campaign being launched in anticipation of early elections, or is Vijaibab preparing to play a bigger role in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly polls? Wait and watch.
2022 defection shadow hangs over Congress’s new entrants
A section of the Congress party has called for an inquiry into allegations that a newly inducted leader had actively participated in engineering the defection of Congress MLAs in 2022. Sources said an internal inquiry would help the party address and refute allegations levelled against the new entrants in particular and the party as a whole. Will the Congress leadership order a probe to put the controversy to rest? Wait and watch.
Altone’s b’day in Quepem, political buzz in Velim
As Congress Quepem MLA Altonbab D’Costa celebrated his birthday earlier this week, political observers were keeping a close watch on neighbouring Velim - but for an entirely different reason. While Altonbab organised birthday programmes across his constituency, political observers were keen to find out whether his birthday cake had made its way into Velim as well. However, Congress leaders from Velim maintained that Altonbab had confined his celebrations to Quepem. The development assumes significance amid reports that Altonbab could shift his political base to Velim if Quepem is reserved for Scheduled Tribes in the 2027 Assembly elections.
