GFP alliance with TMC possible, talking to Prashant Kishor: Vijai Sardesai

PANAJI: Goa Forward Party (GFP) supremo Vijai Sardesai today confirmed that an alliance with the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC or TMC) could be possible and that his party is talking to the TMC at various levels.

On several occasions during the last 15 days, Sardesai hinted in public that by Diwali this year, the GFP will give the people of Goa a strong alternative to the BJP in the state.

He has time and again over the last few weeks, lambasted the Congress for its over confidence and indecisiveness, often comparing the indecisiveness of today to that of 2017, when the party failed to take certain crucial decisions in the nick of time to form the government, in spite of being the single-largest party.

Sardesai confirmed that GFP party officials are in touch with poll strategist Prashant Kishor and the I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), teams in Goa and Kolkata and are working on a possible alliance.

Speaking to the Times of India, Sardesai said that all options for the 2022 assembly elections are on the table and the GFP is working on a strong alliance or Third Front to take on the BJP in the coastal state.

According to him, the indecisiveness of the Congress’ prompted him to look at TMC as a strong and credible alternative against BJP.

The Congress has time and again, be it 2017, 2019 or 2022, failed to see the writing on the wall and is living in Wonderland, smug in the self-belief that it can take on the BJP and all other contenders (like AAP that will heavily eat into its vote-share) on its own, without any alliance.

Sardesai told TOI, that TMC and I-PAC chose to enter Goa’s political battleground only because the Congress failed to shoulder the role of the principal opposition party in the state. “I don’t know if a third front is possible, but an alternative of a single party is the way to go ahead,” he said.