NT Reporter
Panaji
The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Saturday appealed to former Congress members to rejoin the party unconditionally to strengthen the organisation ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While the party said it would welcome current and former MLAs wishing to join, it made it clear that there would be no entry for defectors.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) held at Congress House in Panaji. The meeting was chaired by All India Congress Committee (AICC) Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare and attended by AICC co-in-charge Anjali Nimbalkar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, working presidents Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira, Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa and M K Shaikh, coordination committee chairman Francisco Sardinha and PAC members Eduardo Faleiro and Beena Naik among others.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, GPCC president Girish Chodankar said the party had unanimously resolved to invite all former Congress members to return.
“We appeal unanimously from the PAC meeting today to all those people: come back to the party and strengthen it once more so that we can fight strongly and unitedly against the BJP,” Chodankar said.
He said that anyone rejoining the party would do so unconditionally and that there would be “no conditions regarding tickets.”
Chodankar also said there was a need for a broader alliance to defeat the BJP in the 2027 elections.
“Everyone during the meeting unanimously agreed that there is a need for a broader alliance. All parties that seriously want to defeat the BJP must
work together,” he said, adding that the decision reflected the wishes of the people of Goa.
Responding to a question on the possible induction of current or former MLAs, Chodankar said such proposals would be placed before the party high command. “It will be unconditional joining; it will have nothing to do with tickets,” he said.
Reiterating the party’s stand on defections, Chodankar said, “Our stand on defection is clear.
Entry for those who defected, directly or indirectly, is closed. This is the demand of the people of Goa, and we have upheld it.” He added that defectors would not be encouraged even as part of any alliance.
Chodankar also announced that the ‘Goa Rakhan Yatra’, conceived by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, will begin on September 22.
