Goa Elections: Congress-GFP alliance for Polls 2022 finalized, likely to be announced next week

PANAJI: Reliable sources informed this reporter that a comprehensive alliance between the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2022 has been finalised and an announcement to the effect is likely to be made as early as next week.

Leaders of both parties refused to officially comment on the matter.

However, a definite indication of the GFP-Congress alliance being sealed was the exit of GFP Working President Kiran Kandolkar, his wife and supporters from the party Saturday morning, which he had joined only last year.

As part of the GFP-Congress alliance arrangement, the Aldona seat goes to the Congress. Kandolkar who was active in Aldona for the last one year was not ready to let go of the Aldona seat/ticket and hence quit the party.

Less than four hours after he quit the GFP, Kandolkar joined the All India Trinamool Congress party and has been promised tickets for two constituencies – Thivim and Aldona by Mamata Banerjee’s party.

Sources say Kandolkar was in talks with the TMC for the last 10 days, anticipating a tie-up between the Congress and the GFP. While GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai played down the matter, wishing Kandolkar all the best, his movement to the TMC, further splits the secular, anti-BJP vote in North Goa, benefiting the BJP’s Glen Ticlo in Aldona and Nilkanth Harlankar in Thivim.

Kandolkar hit out at the Congress, stating that the party is not serious about winning the 2022 polls and will dump the GFP days before the elections. Sources said Kandolkar was dead against any alliance with the Congress and instead favoured a tie-up with the TMC. Read More Here