The absence of a national coalition without the Congress and BJP, India’s two main national parties, remains a possibility, though several national and regional parties have long wished for an alternative front to challenge these two parties that have governed the country for years. Former Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao had earlier attempted to build such a front, but the effort did not succeed. Amid this, some parties in various states are now attempting to form coalitions of their own. Ahead of next year’s Goa Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, and the Goa Forward Party (GFP), led by Vijai Sardesai, have decided to contest the elections together. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced today that the two parties have jointly formed an alliance named “Goa First.” Speaking at a media conference held in Goa on Sunday, Kejriwal made clear that the alliance had been formed to end the long-running collusive politics between the BJP and Congress in the state.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the people of Goa have had no alternative to the BJP or Congress all these years, but that the genuine, strong alternative they have been seeking would now become a reality through the “Goa First” alliance. He expressed confidence that the alliance would contest the elections on its own strength and go on to form the government. He alleged that the current BJP government in the state is being run entirely with the help of defectors from the Congress, and said the BJP has no ideology of its own, dismissing it as merely a “pocket first” government focused only on filling its own pockets. He expressed hope that despite disillusionment with BJP rule, the people would extend their support to the “Goa First” alliance.
Separately, Kejriwal responded for the first time to the defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, from the party. He said these MPs had reached the Rajya Sabha through the party and were not directly elected by the people, alleging that they had committed a serious act of betrayal against the party. He said the episode had exposed a weakness in the party’s selection process and served as a major lesson for AAP, making clear that going forward, before sending anyone to the Rajya Sabha, the party would verify their credibility a hundred times over before making a decision.