Goa Election 2022: Congress Faces Spate Of Resignations As Priyanka Gandhi Arrives In State For Day-Long Visit

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has arrived in Goa as Congress is faced with a spate of resignations and confusion over alliance in the coastal state.

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New Delhi: The Goa Congress is faced with a spate of resignations and confusion over alliance with like-minded parties for the upcoming assembly election in the coastal state.

This comes as the opposition party is gearing up for a series of meetings by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to take place today.

A group of Congress leaders from the Porvorim assembly constituency tendered their resignations on Friday morning, news agency PTI reported. 

The group, supported by Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte, has claimed that Congress is not serious about contesting the assembly election likely to be held in early 2022.

“The Congress party does not seem to be interested in contesting the upcoming Goa elections seriously. It is a non-starter due to the attitude of some of its leaders,” Gupesh Naik, a former zilla panchayat member who led the group from Porvorim, told the media, as reported by PTI.

In yet another blow for the opposition party, its senior leader from South Goa Moreno Rebelo also tendered his resignation.

As per the resignation letter by Rebelo, he was upset after the party announced the “candidature” to sitting MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco from the Curtorim constituency “despite he working against the part”.

“Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who has never participated in any party activity for the last four-and-a-half years and on the contrary only abused party leaders and yourself, worked against the official candidate of Curtorim in the recently held Zilla Panchayat election, is promoted as working president of the party and is declared as a candidate by senior leaders during a recently held convention,” Rebelo wrote in the letter addressed to Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar.

The spate of resignations emerged following the differences in Congress over the nature of its understanding with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) for the upcoming assembly polls.

AICC Goa election in-charge P Chidambaram on Thursday said the GFP had only extended support to Congress, refusing to call it an alliance at this stage.

Interacting with the media in Panaji, Chidambaram had said that so far they had one party leader Vijai Sardesai who came to Delhi who said “in order to defeat BJP, my party offers support to the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi said we accept the support. All other details have to be discussed further.” 

On the other hand, senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao has proposed a meeting between GFP chief Vijai Sardesai and Chodankar on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Goa today as Congress is faced with a fresh crisis in the coastal state.

During her day-long visit, she is scheduled to address various events and interact with youngsters and women.

(With Agency Inputs)