Goa Elections 2022: Congress candidates have taken the pledge once,will repeat it with Rahul Gandhi.
All Congress candidates in Goa will take a pledge of loyalty with top party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promising not to defect after the elections. Congress was the single largest party in the 2017 assembly elections, that saw a fractured mandate, but failed to form the government due to defections. Just two out of the 17 MLAs elected on a Congress ticket in the last assembly elections are with the party now.
The party wants to assure the people of the state that voting for Congress won't be a wasted vote and that the elected representatives will not defect after being elected.
In 2019, a major chunk of MLAs had left the party depleting its strength in the state assembly.
Congress has already held a similar event with all candidates taking a pledge that they would remain faithful to the people and the party after the assembly election. The candidates took the loyalty pledge at a temple, a church and a dargah earlier this month, and will repeat it with Rahul Gandhi to convince voters that they will not defect after the elections.
Prithviraj Chavan, Congress leader and former Chief Minister of neighbouring Maharashtra, accused the BJP of using central agencies to make MLAs defect. "We know what happened in 2017. The BJP uses central agencies and indulges in blackmail and raids. We appeal to the people of Goa to give us a clear majority and we are confident we will win over 21 seats," he said.
The BJP is positioning itself as a stable party in the state. "Only the BJP can bring development to Goa as it is the only party that can provide stability to the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Sunday," while attacking Rahul Gandhi.
"No party has come here to form a stable government. Some party wants to become a national party, so they have come here to gather some votes from Goa to save their eligibility. Someone has come here to open their account. They cannot form the government. You can be assured that the government will be formed only by the BJP and that's why we need your blessings," Mr Shah had said, in a dig at Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
He also said that the Gandhi family only uses Goa as a holiday destination while the BJP wants to build a "Golden Goa". He slammed other opposition parties as well, saying they are trying to spread fear.
"Amit Shah does not know the contribution of Congress and Gandhis to Goa. Indira Gandhi facilitated the opinion poll, Rajiv Gandhi gave Goa Statehood," Dinesh Gundu Rao, Congress's In-Charge for Goa said in response to Amit Shah's barbs on the Gandhi family.
Responding to the Home Minister's jibe, AAP accused the BJP of supporting Congress candidates only to get them to defect once elected. "The BJP knows that they alone can't form a government in Goa, hence they are supporting Congress candidates who like 2017 will switch parties if they win. But Goenkars won't be cheated again. This time Goa will choose AAP," Rahul Mhambre, AAP's Goa Convener, told reporters.
Trinamool also hit back saying, "Someone coming from Gujarat must not preach Goenkars Ami Shah ji. Pity you can still not rise above divisive politics."
Goa's 40 assembly seats vote on the February 14, and counting will take place on March 10.