Like-minded anti-BJP parties should unite for Goa polls: Digambar Kamat

Goa Congress leader Digambar Kamat said that like-minded parties should come together to fight the 2022 state Assembly elections against the BJP

Goa Congress leader Digambar Kamat

on Friday said that like-minded parties should come together to fight the 2022 state Assembly elections against the BJP.

Kamat, who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Goa Assembly, said regional parties, like the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) along with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) can be considered for this union.

The former state chief minister, however, said that it was his personal opinion.

"As the chief of the Congress legislative party, I would be putting across to my high command that there should be an alliance of like-minded anti-BJP parties for the next assembly polls in Goa," he told PTI.

The Congress has already announced that it has begun the process to reorganise the party ahead of the 2022 Goa elections.

Replying to a query over the likelihood of alliance of parties, Kamat said, "It may not be called as Mahagathbandhan. But there can be arrangement or understanding between the parties on the basis of alliance or seat sharing."

In the 40-member House, the Congress had won 17 seats as against BJP's 13 in the 2017 state elections. However, the Congress had to sit in the opposition after the BJP joined hands with the regional parties to form the government.

In all, 13 MLAs left the Congress since 2017 and joined the ruling BJP.

Kamat said that the Congress party has its own base in the state and any amount of deserting by the leaders will not have a dent on the future of the party.

"People have seen how Congress MLAs have switched over the side. They are waiting for the elections to teach them a lesson," he said.