PANJIM: In a virtual snub to the INDIA alliance, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced that Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas will be the party’s candidate for the South Goa seat "on behalf of the INDIA Bloc alliance", without even discussing it with the Congress.
The claim provaed to be hollow as the Goa Congress immediately reacted and accused AAP of indirectly helping the BJP. It also remarked that the AAP took premature decision when the since the Congress has sitting MP in South Goa
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar said, “I.N.D.I.A. Bloc leaders are in discussing seat sharing in different States. The national co-ordination team will speak on this. At State-level I don’t want to make a statement on this,” Patkar said.
When contacted, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha said, “If they (AAP) have declared the candidate after coming out of I.N.D.I.A. Bloc, it means they have decided. Now it depends what decision our Congress party takes. But all others who are there, are indirectly helping BJP by dividing our votes.”
“Does AAP have a chance, other than the BJP or the Congress to win? They may contest to indirectly help BJP. People are with me. Last time everybody helped me and I won. Elsewhere it may be different but here the fight is between the Congress and the BJP. The BJP vote does not go to others,” Sardinha said.
"It is only the anti-BJP votes which they want to divide. They should have discussed and after a consent they should have done this. If they contest then indirectly they will help the BJP," the South Goa MP said.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the AAP declaring candidate in South Goa means the end of I.N.D.I.A. alliance in Goa. This proves that no one trusts Congress and no one trusts Rahul Gandhi, he added.
Reacting to Sawant's statement, Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa said, "I can understand Chief Minister Pramod Sawant rejoicing on candidate announcement by AAP. He is fully aware of strength of Congress Party and weakness of BJP in South Goa. His hope is only on vote split."