Cong sets the ball rolling on picking candidates for Goa polls

Congress today began the process of shortlisting its candidates for upcoming Assembly election in Goa and the first list is expected to be out in a month.
"We have started the discussion on the selection of candidates. We have received recommendations from the block Congress committee and the district Congress committee in this regard," AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh told PTI after chairing the meeting of state election committee of Congress.
The meeting was also attended by state unit Congress president Luizinho Faleiro besides others.
"Preliminary discussions have begun. We will start our discussion seat-wise tomorrow. Wherever we find consensus (on name of candidate) we will clear the names, while (in absence of consensus) we will form a panel. We are preparing to fight all 40 seats," he said.

Responding to a query on the prospects of forging alliance with like-minded parties, Singh said, "The decision of alliances is not taken by the state but by AICC. But at the same time anyone who wants to have an alliance with us must at least give so in writing. No one has submitted the proposal."
For the polls, due next year, parties like Goa Forward and NCP have expressed their desire for tying up with Congress.
Meanwhile, Faleiro said the candidates in "undisputed" constituencies would be announced in the first phase within a month. "In case if there is only one candidate (in such constituencies) then we will announce his/her name in the first list," he added.

In 2012, Congress was decimated by the BJP which won a landslide under the leadership of technocrat-turned-politician Manohar Parrikar, now Defence Minister.