Team Herald
PANJIM: The show of hands did take place in Delhi between two Goa Forward MLAs Vijai Sardesai and Vinod Palyekar on a cold winter morning in Delhi, but it hasn’t quite translated into the warmth of a handshake and a sign of electoral partnership.
In fact the AICC Goa observer P Chidambaram appeared a little cold (and it’s not the Delhi weather we are talking about here) when reporters asked about the Congress ‘alliance’ with the Goa Forward Party. He said, “The word alliance is being used indiscriminately. So far we had one party leader Vijai Sardesai who came to Delhi and said, in order to defeat BJP, my party offers support to the Congress Party. Rahul Gandhi said we accept the support. All other details have to be discussed further,” he said.
Could this be one way of Congress sending a message to the GFP that it isn’t quite ready to align with it?
Chidambaram’s tone seemed as if the support of one MLA who will contest the Fatorda seat has been accepted but that is as far as one should go now.
Chidambaram said that he does not know any BJP MLA in the State. “I am concerned with voters of Goa and I am concerned about what is their mood, mind and their expectations. My job is to guide the Congress election campaign so that it meets the expectations of the people of Goa,” he said, when asked how can he be unaware of the rival party while going to the election battlefield.
When asked how many seats the Congress party will win in Goa, Chidambaram said that the party will field candidates and it is for the people of Goa to decide how many candidates will be elected.
“We will select candidates based on their loyalty, integrity, acceptability to workers and winnability to the larger electorate. All our candidates will have capacity to win elections,” he said.
On the other hand, AICC Goa Desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said that he has invited Goa Congress
president Girish Chodankar and Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai for a meeting in the city at 10 am on Saturday.
“I have invited Sri @VijaiSardesai, President of @Goaforwardparty for a meeting with Sri @girishgoa, President of @INCGoa and others on 11/12/21, 10.00am at Congress Election Office, Patto Plaza, Panjim,” Rao tweeted.
Asked whether the Congress will have pre-poll alliance with its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he said, “Last I heard was that NCP leaders are talking to our GPCC leaders. I don’t involve myself in it.”
Chidambaram said that if the Congress comes back to power in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, then it will amend the Anti-Defection Act and remove the loopholes.
Referring to frequent defections in the State, he said that defection is a shame and stigma. The entire BJP government in Goa is a government of defectors. The Anti-Defection Act is defective and if the Congress returns to power then it will certainly amend the Act and remove the loopholes.
Chidambaram further disclosed that the first list of Congress candidates for the ensuing Goa polls will be announced soon.
The Congress leader said that the highlight of the AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s maiden visit to Goa on Friday is women’s convention at Margao. Priyanka will address women, who are currently facing problems due to inflation and increasing prices of essential commodities.
