Goa Election 2022: Congress announces first list of eight candidates

In the 2017 elections, the Congress won 17 seats in the 40-member House, while the BJP gained 13.

Goa, First Published Dec 16, 2021, 7:57 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 16, 2021, 9:07 PM IST

With the Goa assembly elections just a few months away, Congress presented the initial list of eight candidates on Thursday. Former Gao Chief Minister Digambar Vasant Kamat will run from Margao, while Sudhir Kanolkar will represent Mapusa, Tony Rodrigues will represent Taleigao, Rajesh Verenkar will represent Ponda, Sankalp Amonkar will represent Marmugao, Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco will represent Curtorim, Yuri Alemao will represent Cuncolim, and Altone D'Costa will represent Quepem.

Goa will have elections in February of next year. In the 2017 elections, the Congress won 17 seats in the 40-member House, while the BJP gained 13. Despite the fact that the Congress won the most seats, the BJP joined forces with regional parties – GFP and MGP – to create a government led by the late Manohar Parrikar.

Also Read | Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte who resigned, to join BJP on Friday ahead of Goa Election 2022

Meanwhile, the Congress party in Goa is down to three MLAs after 14 MLAs defected in less than five years, and the exodus continues. According to Francisco Sardinha, South Goa MP and former chief minister of the state, ex-CM Ravi Naik is not being considered for a ticket because his son has joined the BJP. Several Goa Congress officials have defected to Mamata Banerjee's TMC before of the elections. Luizinho Falerio resigned from the Congress and the Goa legislature in September to join the TMC. Mamata later appointed him as the party's national vice president. Around 200 employees from the Valpoi Block Congress Committee (VBCC) defected to the TMC in October.

The resignations followed disagreements within the Congress over the nature of its agreement with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) for the Assembly elections. Meanwhile, P Chidambaram, AICC Goa election in-charge, stated on Thursday that the GFP has just provided support to the Congress and refused to call it an alliance at this point. Senior Congress politician Dinesh Gundu Rao, on the other side, has proposed a meeting between GFP chairman Vijai Sardesai and Chodankar on Saturday.

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