Editor, Goemkarponn
AERIAL VIEW
Sources have said that the AAP leader is keen on the party contesting the South Goa seat where the party has a sound presence. It also has won two seats in Salcete – Velim and Benualim and hence it fancies the chances of winning the seat should there be a one-to-one fight with the BJP.
Now, the Congress too is keen on contesting the seat as it already has a seating MP Francisco Sardinha and does not want to give away the sure-shot seat.
Of course, if there is a deal between the two parties the Congress will have to part away with the seat.
ON Jan 9, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) met to work for a seat-sharing formula for key states including Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa.
The meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ashok Gehlot, members of the seat-sharing committee, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, and Delhi Cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. In addition to Wasnik and Gehlot, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and senior party leaders Salman Khurshid and Mohan Prakash also took part.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal will embark on a three-day visit to Goa to take stock of preparations for the Lok Sabha election.
He is scheduled to meet party leaders, workers and chalk out a plan of action for the elections.
Sources have said that the AAP leader is keen on the party contesting the South Goa seat where the party has a sound presence. It also has won two seats in Salcete – Velim and Benualim and hence it fancies the chances of winning the seat should there be a one-to-one fight with the BJP.
Now, the Congress too is keen on contesting the seat as it already has a seating MP Francisco Sardinha and does not want to give away the sure-shot seat.
Of course, if there is a deal between the two parties the Congress will have to part away with the seat.
ON Jan 9, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) met to work for a seat-sharing formula for key states including Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa.
The meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ashok Gehlot, members of the seat-sharing committee, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, and Delhi Cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj.
In addition to Wasnik and Gehlot, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and senior party leaders Salman Khurshid and Mohan Prakash also took part.
Even though there has been no official announcement about the seat sharing by the two parties, several media reports suggested that the AAP is offering three Lok Sabha seats from Delhi to the Congress. In return, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is eyeing 1 Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, 3 in Haryana, and 1 in Goa.
The Aam Aadmi Party claimed that the decision on seat sharing will come through further meetings
Now which Goa seat we do not know, neither does the AAP leaders leader but insiders claim that AAP has asked for South Goa seat as this constituency has anti-BJP sentiments, especially Salcete which has Christian-dominated population.
Interestingly, neither of the parties – Congress or AAP, are keen to contest from North Goa, the seat which sitting MP Shripad Naik has won for BJP for last five terms.
For AAP does don’t have a great vote share in this district and also does not ahve a single MLA in North Goa. Similarly, Congress has just one MLA in Carlos Alvares Fereira from Aldona.
Three of the Congress MLAs – Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo and Kedar Naik have ditched the party and joined the BJP in September 2022, and therefore the party does have a kind of sympathy for the party.
However, the Congress does not have a good leader who can take on the 5-time winner Shripad Naik, if BJP decides to field him.
Kejriwal’s visit to Goa is an indication that the party wants to expand its base in the coastal State and will contest one seat, not sure which one though.
Otherwise, Kejriwal would not have skipped his ED summons and landed in Goa with his entourage of Punjab CM, MPs etc just for a junket.
