Shiv Sena, NCP announce alliance for Goa Assembly polls

Praful Patel and Sanjay Raut at the parties` Goa press conference. Image/Pallav Paliwal

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena on Wednesday announced their alliance for the Goa assembly elections together. Speaking on talks with Congress for the alliance, NCP leader Praful Patel said, "NCP always supports like-minded parties with secular thoughts.

Following this idealogy, the MVA government was formed in Maharashtra with Congress and Shiv Sena, which is running smoothly. We wanted the same in Goa." "NCP and Shiv Sena will jointly fight Goa polls. We made an offer to Congress to jointly contest Goa polls but in vain. They neither said yes nor no. Congress thinks that it can fight the Goa election alone", he added.

The NCP leader alleged that Congress did not give NCP enough respect by ignoring them. "Sanjay Raut and CM Uddhav Thackeray also spoke to them in vain. We thought all 3 of us should fight together", said Patel.

According to Patel, the NCP-Shiv Sena alliance would not fight all 40 seats, but a substantial number. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who was present at the Press conference confirmed the alliance and said that their alliance would win a considerable number of seats making them a kingmaker.

"If the Congress thinks that it can fight out the election alone, then I wish them luck. Whatever number of seats we fight, we will win many out of them and make sure that government would not be formed without our support", said Raut. He said that the first candidate list for the Goa poll is likely to be released tomorrow followed by the other lists.

Raut, speaking about the political situation in Goa, said, "The situation in Goa is like 'Aya Ram Gaya Ram'. The term which was first coined for Haryana now symbolises Goa. Nobody knows who will join which party". According to him, the people of Goa is fed up and tied to such political leaders and would vote for them. Goa elections are slated to be held on February 14, in a single phase.

The counting of votes will be held on March 10.

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