Congress in alliance talks with Sharad Pawar's party, others for Goa polls

Panaji, Nov 15: The Congress is holding talks for a prospective alliance with the NCP, Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for the Goa Assembly elections, due early next year, a Congress office-bearer said today.

AICC Goa incharge Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters that all these parties are of the view that Goa needs to be rid of a "corrupt and communal" government led by BJP.

"The main aim of this alliance, if it materialises, will be to give a stable government in Goa for five years," he said.

The polls are due in Goa in February next year.

The GFP and the MGP had been part of the BJP-led government for some time in the last five years.

Underlining Congress's strategy for the elections, Mr Rao said his party is open for a tie-up with the people who understand Goa, belong to the soil and understand the Goan culture and community.

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, Congress had won the highest 17 seats in the 40-member House, restricting the BJP to 13. However, the BJP allied with regional parties to form a coalition government under the leadership of the late Manohar Parrikar.

Over the last five years, Congress lost 13 MLAs to opposition parties, mostly BJP. Senior Congress leader and MLA Luizinho Faleiro recently joined the Trinamool Congress.