TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Even as the local BJP celebrated its performance in the four states assembly elections, the Aam Admi Party which put up an impressive inaugural performance in Delhi assembly polls said that it would contest both the parliamentary seats in Goa.
The Aam Admi Party in Goa, which is represented by a disparate group of NGOs and local convenor Rajeshree Nagashekar, euphoric over its showing in the Delhi assembly, told media that they were seriously considering contesting the Parliamentary elections.
Dinesh Waghela who is on the national council of the party said that the party which was for the locals showed that the ordinary people could win the elections.
However, the party admitted that there was still no thought on the structure of the party in Goa though Waghela claimed that there were around 1000 volunteers in the state.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar calling this (Assembly elections) as “just a semi final of the Lok Sabha elections” said that the results in the four states showed that the NDA would come to power at the Centre.
He said that the way results were coming in from various parts of north India showed how the BJP would fare in Parliamentary elections and argued that if Narendra Modi had been appointed earlier, the results would have been even better.
“Except in Chhattisgarh, Congress has been wiped out,” he told reporters at the party office, adding that
the victory showed the mentality of the people and the way the Congress lost showed the anger of the people.
He said that the contest was close in Chhattisgarh due to the sympathy wave which helped the Congress after some of its leaders were killed by Naxals recently.
Appreciating the success of the Aam Admi Party, he said that these elections were a warning to all political parties.
“It is a clear signal to all political parties including the BJP that people want to clear the air in politics. They want corruption free, nepotism free and family free politics,” he said stressing that political parties should learn from this.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Subash Shirodkar, in a circumspect manner and sounding politically correct said that the Congress had accepted the mandate of the people. “Congress will introspect and will work towards the parliamentary elections,” he said.
However, when questioned about the way forward or if lessons had been given or learnt from these elections, quite similar to the assembly elections in Goa where Congress was decimated, he said that the Congress in the past 60 years “has faced defeat and has come out like a f
laming bird,” and added; “Sometimes people vote for different parties at the state level and the parliamentary level. We are confident that people will vote for us at parliamentary level.”
