BAMBOLIM: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday announced its first list of candidates for the 2017 Assembly elections.
The list names State NCP President Jose Philip D’Souza for Vasco, and former PWD minister Churchill Alemao who recently joined NCP for Benaulim constituency, former Colva ZP Nelly Rodrigues for Cortalim, Vincent Rodrigues for Nuvem and Devanand Naik for Saligao.
Addressing the media, NCP General Secretary and Goa in-charge Praful Patel said this is the first list of candidates and that NCP is not interested in any alliance, now.
“We have decided to go alone this election unless there is some respectable and a well thought out alliance which can be planned in the next few months. We have started work in full swing and we have announced this first list so that work can get started,” Patel said.
“I will be here in Goa on December 4 and we will have another meeting, after which the second list of candidates will be announced. We are also planning a series of public meetings in Margao,” he added
“We are open to working with other political parties, be it Congress or other. We are a secular party and would like the secular fabric of Goa to be maintained. We do not claim to be a party which will single handedly change the fortunes of Goa but we have an important role to play and we will perform that role with Congress or without Congress. We are open to talking to other political parties but not on their terms,” he said.
