Goemkarponn desk
Panaji: The Congress in Goa on Tuesday said it will stake claim to both Lok Sabha seats in the coastal state, days after its INDIA bloc partner Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) evinced keen interest in contesting one of them.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar told PTI his party will stake claim to both parliamentary constituencies in the tiny state during seat-sharing talks of the opposition grouping as it has good voter base there.
He, however, added a final call on the matter will be taken by the party high command.
“We have a good voter base in both constituencies. Our high command knows about our strengths in these constituencies,” Patkar said.
The coastal state has two Lok Sabha seats — North Goa and South Goa — currently represented by the BJP’s Shripad Naik and Francisco Sardinha of the Congress, respectively.
AAP convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, during his recent Goa visit, told reporters his party will stake claim to one of the two Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Kejriwal-led party currently has two MLAs, while the Congress has three members in the 40-seat state assembly.
The Congress and the AAP are constituents of INDIA, an opposition alliance of more than two dozen parties formed to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
