Cong to Contest Both Goa LS Seats in Alliance With AAP; Asks Oppn to Unite Against BJP

The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party signed a seat-sharing agreement on Saturday, which will allow the grand old party to run for both Goa Lok Sabha seats.

Panaji:The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday sealed a seat sharing pact under which the grand old party will contest both Lok Sabha seats from Goa. Addressing a press conference, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar and AAP Goa chief Amit Palekar asked all opposition parties in the coastal state to join hands to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming general elections.

Currently, the South Goa seat is held by the Congress, while the North Goa seat is with the ruling BJP. "I appeal to all those MLAs who sought votes against the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls but then joined hands with the ruling party to support the opposition. The Revolutionary Goans Party must also join our alliance," Patkar said.

Candidates from both seats will be announced in the next 4-5 days, he added. Incidentally, the AAP had some days ago announced that its MLA Venzy Viegas would be the candidate from the South Goa seat. "The INDIA alliance is ready to welcome all opposition parties. The Goa Forward Party has already announced it will support our alliance," Palekar said.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is a Congress-led opposition bloc of 20-odd parties formed to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in the first half of the year.