Panaji: Angry words have broken out between Goa`s ruling Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over seat sharing ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled next year.
Congress` chief election campaigner Mauvin Godinho said again on Tuesday that the NCP did not have the strength to contest 12 constituencies, which it has demanded. This comes a week after the NCP complained that he was "insulting" them without reason.
"The NCP doesn`t even have six winnable candidates, let alone 12. If they had 12 winning candidates they would have asked for 20," said Godinho, who is also the deputy speaker of the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly.
"The Congress is fighting for a share in a coalition from a position of strength. Of course we can win these elections alone," he added.
NCP`s central observer Bharati Chawan last week complained to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of Goa Jagmeet Singh Brar about the "disturbing"
statements, which could damage the alliance between the NCP and Congress.
"A certain individual has been making these comments which could affect the alliance," Chavan said before state party president Surendra Sirsat identified Godinho as the "troublemaker".
"I have already complained to Brar about the comments and asked him to stop such statements," he added.
The Congress and the NCP are presently in alliance not only in Goa but in neighbouring Maharashtra as well as in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) central government.
IANS
