After a disastrous performance at the 2012 Assembly elections where the party was reduced to single digit, the Congress Party is trying to regain its strength.
However, there seems to be a clear divide between the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee members and Congress legislators on several issues, which is undoing the efforts of getting back on track.
To start with, the Congress is in dire straits ahead of 2017 elections, with Santa Cruz MLA Babush Monserrate expelled from the party and Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho openly embracing the BJP, the strength of the party has been reduced to just seven.
But sources reveal that the strength actually is just five, with Jennifer Monserrate almost non-existent and would support her husband Babush, and with Vishwajit Rane toying with the idea of contesting on the Sattari Yuva Morcha ticket.
To change the fortunes of party, few MLAs have strongly recommended a Mahagatbandhan with Goa Forward, NCP and other regional parties.
The issue of going alone versus forming a grand alliance with some anti-BJP parties has led to a wide open split between the Congress legislature wing and the organisation.
This was evident during the party’s election strategy meeting on Monday. Three MLAs – Vishwajit Rane, Digambar Kamat and Jennifer Monserrate – skipped the crucial meeting called to review the party’s preparedness for the upcoming elections, while Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco walked out of the meeting.
Out of the 40 Congress blocks in the state, only three have supported the move for a grand alliance.
This means, Vishwajit Rane, who is strongly advocating grand alliance is completely isolated on the issue.
Not surprisingly, all opposing blocks observed that those making the pitch for a grand alliance are former Congressmen and sought to know what stops them from returning to the party fold while holding their heads high.
“The GPCC president has entrusted this great responsibility and respect to blocks for the very first time. Why would we abdicate this responsibility to unknown persons?” said Babi Bagkar, GPCC vice-president.
Bagkar also questioned why should the Congress votes be transferred to non-Congressman.
“The party cadres have been working for decades, let’s give them a chance and see. It will also boost morale of the workers,” he said.
While GPCC members are against the grand alliance, there is a section within the party which feels that the Congress cannot win elections on its own and needs alliance.
“Otherwise, we will serve the BJP on a platter,” said a GPCC member, who did not want to be named.
The Congress party had earlier announced that it would not have any alliance for the Assembly polls. All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who was in Goa last month to assess the situation, had refused the possibility of an alliance.
But the local leaders have strongly expressed that pre-poll alliance is the need of the hour to save the division of votes among secular parties which will give an edge to BJP.
The GPCC has decided to wait till September 30 for a final decision on the alliance.
