Goa: GFP, Which Helped BJP Form Govt In 2017, Forms Alliance With Congress For Election

The GFP had helped to prop up the BJP government led by Manohar Parrikar that came to power after the 2017 Goa polls despite the BJP winning fewer seats than Congress.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Goa Forward Party leaders (Twitter/Dinesh Gundu Rao)

Panaji: The Congress will contest the next year's Goa assembly elections in alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and other like-minded parties, a senior office-bearer said on Wednesday.

Interestingly, the GFP, led by Vijai Sardesai, had helped to prop up the BJP government led by Manohar Parrikar that came to power after the 2017 Goa polls despite the BJP winning fewer seats than Congress.

This announcement of the alliance was made by AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, a day after GFP MLAs Vijay Sardesai and Vinod Palyekar, and independent legislator Prasad Gaonkar, met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and extended their support to Congress to defeat BJP in the Goa polls.

Met Shri @RahulGandhi along with my colleagues @prasadgaonkr13 and @vinod_palyekar. We agreed to fight resolutely, wholeheartedly and unitedly on behalf of the people of #Goa to end the utterly corrupt, incompetent and undemocratic reign of @BJP4Goa #ChalYaFuddem! pic.twitter.com/E1hZ1QYjic

— Vijai Sardesai (@VijaiSardesai) November 30, 2021

Speaking to reporters, Rao said the nitty-gritty of the alliance will be worked out at the local level.

"Congress will contest the upcoming elections in Goa with GFP and other like-minded parties. We have decided about the alliance but the details would be decided at the local level, Rao said, adding that Congress will lead this alliance.

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress had won the highest 17 seats in the 40-member House restricting the BJP at 13. However, the BJP allied with regional parties- GFP and Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP)- to form a government under the late Manohar Parrikar. The GFP has three MLAs in the House.

Sardesai had served as a deputy chief minister under incumbent chief minister Pramod Sawant of BJP.