Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Sep 22: The Opposition unity effort in Goa ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections has run into fresh friction, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa chief Valmiki Naik accusing the Congress of focusing on AAP-held constituencies instead of uniting Opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Naik, however, said the doors of the recently launched Goa First alliance remained open to the Congress.
Speaking to reporters, Naik said AAP had waited for Congress to initiate talks on a pre-poll alliance but claimed that no meeting had taken place despite repeated efforts.
“Congress is a senior Opposition party. We waited a long time for their call for an alliance, but not a single meeting took place,” Naik said.
He claimed Congress had sent an official communication to the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), but had not similarly approached AAP, leading the party to believe that Congress did not want it to be part of a proposed Opposition alliance.
AAP had meanwhile held discussions with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and RGP. The party received a positive response from GFP and subsequently joined hands with it to launch the Goa First alliance on September 13. AAP and GFP have positioned the alliance as a non-BJP, non-Congress front for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Naik said the alliance was being built with the objective of forming a government without the BJP after the 2027 polls, while stressing that Congress could still join the front.
However, he questioned Congress' strategy for the elections, alleging that the party appeared to be concentrating on constituencies represented by AAP, including Benaulim and Velim, instead of focusing on the BJP.
“Looks like we are the target and not BJP,” Naik said, questioning whether joining hands with Congress would help achieve the stated objective of defeating the BJP.
The AAP leader also criticised Congress over its reported willingness to accommodate leaders who had previously been associated with the BJP, citing Michael Lobo and Babush Monserrate as examples. He alleged that such leaders could join Congress before the elections and subsequently return to the BJP.
Naik said AAP was also in touch with strong independent leaders who wanted to defeat the BJP and would not support any post-poll arrangement with the ruling party.
The latest developments come amid shifting Opposition equations in Goa. AAP and GFP formally launched Goa First earlier this month, while Congress has continued to keep the possibility of broader Opposition cooperation open. GFP president Vijai Sardesai on Monday said no decision had been taken to alter the party's alliance with AAP, even as some GFP leaders called for talks with Congress.
Naik urged Congress not to “cheat Goans again” and said AAP would continue efforts to build an alternative political front ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.