NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will contest the state assembly election on its own prowess and nominate candidates in more than 20 constituencies.
Nationalist Congress Party General Secretary and Goa desk in-charge Praful Patel Tuesday said that there were no efforts either from their side or the Congress party to form a pre-poll alliance in the state.
He said, “We had not decided that we would go and talk to them. They had invited us for a discussion in Delhi. We placed our viewpoint and unfortunately the Congress party has not decided and it doesn’t matter.”
Stating that the responsibility to form the alliance rested on the Congress, he further said, “There were no discussions about alliance with the Congress except the ten minutes when I met the Congress leaders after they invited us to talk. It was duty of the Congress party to have taken a lead to form the alliance.”
However, Patel said that the party is confident of playing an important role in post-election scenario. “This is not like the previous elections where there would be two principle fronts, which used to contest. It will be interesting with so many candidates contesting from so many parties and fronts…We can be an important factor post election in forming the government,” he said.
Accusing the Congress of helping the communal forces come to power, Patel said, “Off late, the Congress party is interested in giving a walkover or allowing the communal forces like BJP and other parties to gain more ground and that has been visible after the national election in Delhi. Consequently, so many elections (results) that have taken place because the lack of Congress in bringing the like-minded forces together.”
