Goa Assembly Elections 2022: Congress releases first list of 8 candidates

Panaji, Dec 16: The Congress party on Thursday announced the first list of 8 candidates for Goa Assembly Elections 2022. The elections are scheduled to be held early next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The election commission is yet to announce the schedule for next year's elections.

Former Gao Chief Minister Digambar Vasant Kamat will contest from Margao, Sudhir Kanolkar has been given ticket from Mapusa, Tony Rodrigues from Taleigao, Rajesh Verenkar from Ponda, Sankalp Amonkar from Marmugao, Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco from Curtorim, Yuri Alemao from Cuncolim, and Altone D'Costa from Quepem.

Congress is the first party to announce the name of the candidates in the state.

The Assembly polls in UP and Goa, both currently ruled by the BJP, are due in February next year.

In the 2017 polls, Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats in the 40-member House while the BJP bagged 13 seats.

Meanwhile, the NCP is also in talks with the Congress over the forthcoming Goa Assembly polls and pitching for unity among the anti-BJP parties, but "there has been no response yet", Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik told reporters.

"We should support the party which is contesting the election with all its might in Uttar Pradesh. It is our view that there should be no division of votes (among non-BJP parties) in Uttar Pradesh," said Malik, who is the NCP's national spokesperson.

The NCP is discussing the same with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (key opposition party in Uttar Pradesh), said the minister, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.