Team Herald
PANJIM: Even four days after filing of nominations began for the February 4 elections, Congress is unable to decide whether to align with like-minded parties — Goa Forward, United Goans and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Congress, on Saturday, said an announcement on the alliance proposal would be made on January 17, a day before nominations end. Interestingly, Goa Forward and NCP have declared that their party candidates will file their nominations on January 16, a day earlier.
Hinting that there could be an alliance, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish
Chodankar said that Congress will take all steps necessary to bring together like-minded political forces that want to oust BJP from power.
“At the same time, we are not going to compromise on our ideology and conditions. We are not desperate to hog power, but yes we want BJP out of power,” Chodankar said on Saturday.
Chodankar said that AICC General Secretary and Goa desk in-charge Digvijay Singh will make the party’s stand clear on the alliance on January 17. “Whether it is going to be a grand alliance or just an alliance will be known on January 17. Singh will be in Goa on January 16-17,” he said.
He said that alliance talks are on, but that the Congress high command has asked the party to work in all 40 constituencies and have candidates ready in all Assembly seats.
“We are working in all constituencies. We have a strong support base. In the absence of an alliance, we can contest in all of them (constituencies),” he said.
Asked about the ‘friendly fight’ between Congress and United Goans in Cortalim, Chodankar denied any such agreement. “In politics there cannot be any friendly fight. Every candidate is the enemy of the other. I don’t know what friendly fight Monserrate is talking about but there is no such proposal from Congress,” he clarified.
Monserrate on Friday had said that he and Congress are having a friendly fight at Cortalim, where the former has fielded Ramakant Borkar and later has named Gilbert Rodrigues.
Chodankar also confirmed that there will be no compromise on the Velim seat, where the party has fielded former Minister Felipe Neri Rodrigues. “It is a winnable seat for Congress and we will not compromise for any alliance,” he said. GF is seeking the Velim seat, where they have named Antony Rodrigues as their candidate.
Chodankar said the elected Congress representatives will decide who should be the chief minister. He ruled out projecting a CM face in the run-up to the polls.
