Goa Polls: Congress not a threat anymore, BJP not least bothered about Congress, AAP is more worrying

PANAJI: Senior BJP leaders and strategists who accompanied former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to Goa for poll discussions, today opined that they are not least bothered about the Congress in Goa.

The Congress in Goa is not a threat to the BJP anymore. Congress candidates will win in 3-4 constituencies and we can live with that.

We are more worried about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the headache it can cause us, a senior BJP leader told this reporter.

“The Congress will declare their candidates in Goa only 28 days before the polls. There will be internal rebellion within the constituency leaders during the last 15 days of campaigning and many local leaders – who did not get the Congress ticket, along with their voters will secretly support our (BJP) candidate. They will win only in 3-4 constituencies and we are not worried about that. We can live with that. What we are more worried is the AAP tilting the scales and splitting votes, giving regional parties like the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) leads in many constituencies, which are otherwise strong BJP bastions. We are more worried about this,” the senior BJP leader said.

Fadnavis arrived in Goa Monday on his first visit to the poll-bound state after his appointment as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Goa desk in-charge for the 2022 assembly polls.

“This is his first visit after he was appointed as in-charge of Goa for polls. He will be in Goa for two days. He will be meeting with ministers, party workers, office bearers and drawing up a strategy for the elections,” Urban Development Minister Milind Naik told reporters after receiving Fadnavis at Goa’s Dabolim international airport.

Fadnavis is also expected to meet core members of the state BJP executive committee during his two-day visit, while also meeting with the members of the BJP legislature party, an IANS report said.