Panaji: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Goa will undergo complete restructuring in the next six months to fight the 2022 state assembly polls with full strength, said NCP leader Praful Patel, on Tuesday.
The senior NCP leader said the party will replicate the Maharashtra political coalition model by forming an alliance with non-BJP parties to contest all 40 seats.
Addressing a press conference here, on Tuesday, the former civil aviation minister said that the BJP has completely failed on all fronts in Goa, and lost its popularity.
“People are now looking for an alternative. We know our strength. We will work harder for next one and half year to make the party stronger in the state, and by six months before the election, we will emerge as an alternative for the people of Goa,” he said.
“We will finalise our alliance strategy in six months as many like-minded individuals and regional parties, including sitting and ex-MLAs, have shown interest in joining us. We would certainly not go with BJP or Congress or AAP. We will look to put together a maha vikas aghadi, a state-level political coalition, in Goa ahead of 2022 polls,” he added.
He said that the party will appoint a senior minister of Maharashtra to the state for overall supervision of the party works, and would conduct major programmes every month and start a membership campaign to enroll new members.
The NCP will open its state office in Panaji on November 22.
“The NCP will offer a credible leadership and an alternative. The party has enough followers and will work hard to win the trust and confidence of the people,” he added.
Taking a dig at the Congress party, Patel said, “In 2017 assembly polls, we had approached the Congress party to form an alliance to defeat the BJP, but the Congress leadership had different approach and thinking. Even today they are not ready for an alliance with us and consider themselves strong enough to contest on its own with five MLAs.”
“Had the Congress contested election in alliance with us the result would have been different, with victory in 21 or more seats,” he said adding the Congress is marginalised in Goan politics, after losing its 17 MLAs to the BJP.
‘Resume international flights to Goa’
Vasco: The former civil aviation Minister and general secretary of NCP Praful Patel, on Tuesday, said that the central government should resume international and allow charter flights to Goa to boost tourism in the state, and added that the international passengers should be subjected to real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test within 96 hours of their arrival.
Patel was speaking to the media after inaugurating NCP office in Vasco in the presence of NCP state unit president Jose Philip D’Souza, Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, and others.
“I am very much disappointed as tourism has been badly affected in Goa due to COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism is the mainstay of Goa’s economy. The situation will be worst if crisis continues in Goa for the next couple of months,” he said.
He said that the Centre should resume international flights in order to bring tourists to the state.
In various other countries, passengers are subjected to RT-PCR test, and then they are allowed to enter the country, said Patel and further maintained that India should also conduct RT-PCR test within 96 hours of the arrival of passengers.
“It will be a win-win situation for both international tourists and Goa, and would definitely help boost tourism in the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Patel said, “NCP is in close contacts with independent MLAs and other leaders of two major political parties. The NCP can be an alternative to BJP and Congress.”
