As common sense prevails, Goa Forward’s marriage with Trinamool put off for now: Congress has time till Diwali for alliance: Sardesai

PANAJI: In a surprising move, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) has ruled out a merger with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) saying that: “We are not in favour of a merger with any party. We may be a political start-up, but we are a successful start-up,” GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai told The Print.

“The people of Goa will lose faith in us if we merge with any other party. We are ready to ally with any party that is willing to fight the Narkasur BJP,” Sardesai was quoted by The Print.

Sardesai denied meeting any TMC leaders and said political strategist Prashant Kishor insisted on a merger of the GFP with the TMC. Sardesai was given the option of leading the merged entity in Goa, which he apparently turned down.

According to Sardesai, a meeting was held of all the party workers of the GFP in Goa, who were not in favor of a merger with a bigger, outside party, as the GFP as a regional Goan party would loose its identity.

In the light of these developments, the GFP supremo extended the deadline for a strategic tie-up with the Congress until Diwali.

Sardesai admitted that too many anti-BJP forces up to fight the BJP may be counterproductive as the anti-BJP votes would get split, with no single party getting a majority. This would favor the BJP in a big way, he opined.

We all have to think about a strategic alliance, so that votes do not get divided, Sardesai told The Print.