Representational image.
Highlights
- Congress has announced the first list of 8 candidates for next year's Goa Assembly Elections
- Goa elections will held along with assembly polls in 4 other states including high stakes UP, Punjab
- The election commission is yet to announce dates for next year's elections
The Congress party on Thursday announced the first list of 8 candidates for Goa Assembly Elections 2022. The elections are scheduled to be held early next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The election commission is yet to announce the schedule for next year's elections.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will contest the 2022 state assembly polls from his traditional Margao assembly constituency, according to the Congress' Central Election Committee.
The list also features Sudhir Kandolkar (Mapusa), Tomy Rodrigues (Taleigao), Rajesh Verenkar (Ponda), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Aleixo Lourenco (Curtorim), Yuri Alemao (Cuncolim) and Altone D'Costa (Quepem).
With the announcement of its first batch of candidates, the Congress is now the first major political party to announce its list of candidates for the elections to the 40 seats of the Goa legislative assembly.
Congress releases first list of candidates for Goa elections 2022.
A couple of days ago, Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said his party NCP is of the view that there should be no division of votes among like-minded parties to take on the BJP in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The NCP is also in talks with the Congress over the forthcoming Goa Assembly polls and pitching for unity among the anti-BJP parties, but "there has been no response yet", Malik told reporters.
The Assembly polls in UP and Goa, both currently ruled by the BJP, are due early next year.
“We should support the party which is contesting the election with all its might in Uttar Pradesh. It is our view that there should be no division of votes (among non-BJP parties) in Uttar Pradesh,” said Malik, who is the NCP's national spokesperson.
The NCP is discussing the same with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (key opposition party in Uttar Pradesh), said the minister, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.
In the case of Goa, Malik said senior NCP leader Praful Patel has held discussion with Congress' in-charge for the neighbouring state, Dinesh Gundu Rao, over unity among like-minded parties as they face polls there, “but there has been no response yet”.
“Definitely, we are for the unity of all (non-BJP) parties. It can happen if the Congress takes an initiative. The Congress is a big party there. It is the responsibility of the Congress to take all together…Our position will be decided once the Congress takes its decision,” Malik said.
In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats in the 40-member House, but failed to form government.
The BJP, which had won 13 seats, forged an alliance with some regional outfits and independents to form government in the coastal state.
(With inputs from PTI)
ALSO READ | 'How will Owaisi saheb become PM if you don't have more children?' AIMIM leader's viral video
ALSO READ | Kejriwal's dig at Channi, calls him 'first CM in history who meets people in bathroom' | Watch
