'Realignment' on cards? Congress keeps door open for Kejriwal's Goa ally GFP

Will Arvind Kejriwal go back on his commitment to build a non-BJP, non-Congress alliance in Goa and once again find himself sharing the political stage with the grand old party? The question has surfaced after Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai, AAP’s new ally in the state, indicated that he was open to a “realignment”.Congress's Goa incharge Manickrao Thakare also appeared to leave the door open for GFP. "Congress hasn't shut its doors on GFP for alliance with it. Everybody wanting to defeat BJP is welcome to join hands with the party," he said.Thakare's remarks came days after Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and GFP announced a pre-poll alliance for the Goa assembly elections scheduled for next year.The AAP and GFP on last Sunday announced their alliance, “Goa First”, for the 2027 assembly elections, pitching it as a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative for voters in the coastal state.Announcing the alliance in Panaji, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said the ruling BJP would not secure a majority in the upcoming elections and claimed that the ‘Goa First’ alliance would form the next government.Kejriwal also said AAP had learnt a lesson after seven of its Rajya Sabha members merged with the BJP and would be extra cautious while selecting candidates in the future.“The people of Goa want a change. Goa First will form the government. We will win on our own,” Kejriwal said at the press conference, held in the presence of GFP president Vijai Sardesai, Delhi’s leader of opposition and AAP’s Goa desk in-charge Atishi and others.The alliance is being projected by AAP and GFP as an alternative to both BJP and Congress, with Kejriwal stressing that the two parties would not be part of the arrangement.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.