Team Herald

PANJIM: While Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) anxiously await the green signal from the Indian National Congress (INC) for a pre-poll alliance ahead of the 2022 elections, the Congress high command doesn’t appear to be ready for any ties, at least not yet.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) Goa election observer P Chidambaram on Saturday chaired a meeting of chairmen and co-chairmen of various committees related to election preparedness.

Emerging from the meeting, Chidambaram refused to comment on the alliance issue stating, “I have no mandate to discuss.”

“My mandate is only to discuss and focus on restructuring and revival of the party. I have no mandate to discuss anything else,” the former Union Minister said, responding to a question that NCP has set a 15-day deadline to decide on an alliance.

Chidambaram said that for next month and a half the party will only focus on its expansion and enrollment of new members. “We are working on complete restructuring of the party. Constituting the block committees, etc,” he added.

When asked of the party’s preparedness for the polls, Chidambaram said, “we are looking forward”. “We all are eager, enthusiastic and will work as a team and speak in one voice,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, State president Girish Chodankar, working president Aleixo Sequeira, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat, MLAs Luizinho Faleiro, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, senior leader Ramankant Khalap among others.

Chidambaram, who arrived on Friday on his second visit since his appointment as election observes, held a series of meetings with the newly appointed block presidents and Saligao block workers.

During his last visit, Chidambaram has categorically stated that the party is preparing itself to contest all 40 assembly seats in the upcoming polls, due in February 2022.

On Sunday, Chidambaram will attend the two-day National Executive Committee of the Indian Youth Congress.