GPF accuses TMC of spending Rs 10 lakh per day on poll surveys, pumping “Black Money” into Goa Polls

PANAJI: The Goa People’s Forum (GPF) has accused the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) of pumping in and utilizing ‘black money’ for the 2022 State Assembly election expenses.

According to GPF co-convenor Espy Costa, the TMC has nearly 200 to 250 persons – belonging to Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC and their own workers and leaders camping in Goa for the last 2-3 weeks.

“These people are mostly non Goans and are living in rented accommodation in Goa, most of them in hotels. A back of the envelope calculation indicates that the party is spending approximately Rs 10 lakh per day on basic expenses like food, accommodation and travel for 250 persons in Goa. Not to forget the 3-star and 5-star expenses of their leaders who are living in Goa for almost a week now. Where is all this money coming from? Is is accounted as election expenses,” Costa asked?

The TMC has admitted that it has a team of about 200 employees of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s organisation, the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) camping in Goa over the past few weeks, conducting various surveys and building local contacts, as part of the TMC’s poll plan. Who is paying their expenses, the GPF wondered?

The TMC has no presence currently in Goa, but are in talks with a few incumbent and former MLAs from different parties, especially the Congress, to get them into their fold.

This includes two former chief ministers of Goa. They are also holding talks with some prominent civil society members and activists.

A senior leader of the TMC, revealed they plan to launch the party in October.

Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC’s all-India general secretary, is in charge of the party’s national expansion plan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, in which the TMC wants to pitch the three-time Bengal chief minister as prime minister Narendra Modi’s toughest challenger in the country.

On Thursday, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien, along with footballer-turned-Lok Sabha MP Prosun Banerjee, landed in Goa but has remained tight-lipped about the tour.

O’Brien spoke to media persons in Goa on Saturday and said the TMC would announce their CM candidate for Goa very soon. He accepted that the TMC will contest the Assembly elections in Goa next year.