Panaji, Feb 16 (PTI) Days after his party took Congress by surprise by announcing its candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency, AAP’s Goa unit chief Amit Palekar on Friday said there was no rift between the two INDIA allies.
The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party would contest the coming elections together, he told PTI.
AAP announced Venzy Viegas as its candidate for South Goa earlier this week, even though the seat is currently held by the Congress’s Francisco Sardinha.
The announcement was part of election strategy, Palekar said, adding that it should not be seen as a rift in the opposition’s INDIA grouping.
“The alliance is intact, and both the seats in Goa would be fought jointly by AAP and Congress,” he said.
Splitting of the opposition vote always gave an edge to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state, the AAP leader said.
“We will ensure that our votes remain intact. We will not allow votes to be split and this alliance can even continue for 2027 Goa assembly elections,” he said.
Top leaders of AAP and the Congress recently discussed seat-sharing in Goa, he informed. “I cannot reveal to you right now what discussions took place. We will disclose that at the right time,” Palekar said.
The entire AAP cadre supports the INDIA bloc, he added.
Asked about AAP’s pitch during the 2022 Goa assembly polls that a vote for Congress means a vote for the BJP, Palekar said the situation has changed with the formation of INDIA, and the Congress has got its “golden touch” back after joining hands with his party. PTI RPS KRK
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