PANAJI : With the talks on alliance formation virtually fizzling out as probable allies not agreeing to Congress proposals, the Congress is preparing itself to contest all the 40 constituencies on its own.
Sources in the Congress said the party leadership is inclined towards going solo in the assembly elections scheduled next month as the offer made to the Goa Forward Party, the United Goans Party and the Nationalist Congress Party has not found favours with the possible allies.
The marathon talks to form the alliance began after the Congress’ central election committee offered two seats each to the GFP, the UGP and the NCP.
Even after three consecutive days, the talks did not yield a consensus, as the later expressed dissatisfaction for being offered with only two seats each and demanded more constituencies in their kitty.
Senior Congress leaders are of the opinion that there would be no compromise on the constituencies where the candidates have been declared in the first list.
“If the alliance has to become a reality then the parties will have to consider the offer made. In the event of the parties not accepting the offer, which presently looks as the biggest possibility, then the Congress party will contest all the 40 constituencies,” one of the leaders stated.
However, the failure to form a mahagathbandhan is seen as a realisation of the popular aspiration of the Congress cadre, who had time and again protested against forging an alliance in the run-up to the 2017 assembly elections.
A member of Goa pradesh Congress committee said, “We had wanted to contest the elections alone. However, when the party decided to offer a few seats to the other parties we were willing to accept the seat-sharing formula. But the developments during the last three days indicate that the Congress will contest the elections on its own, which is what the cadre wanted.”
