Margao: Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai and former Congress president Amit Patkar sharing the stage at a protest against the Railways’ double-tracking project at Velsao has triggered speculation of a possible political realignment ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.The optics of their camaraderie have drawn attention as Congress-GFP alliance talks remain stalled, and Patkar continues to express dissatisfaction with his sidelining within Congress.Sardesai reiterated that the ball on a possible 2027 seat-sharing arrangement is in Congress’s court, while keeping the door open for talks. He said he remained accessible to the party’s central leadership, despite earlier putting the alliance discussions on hold over Congress’s silence on his overtures.Patkar, meanwhile, voiced his displeasure at being kept out of organisational decisions ahead of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit to Goa. His remarks were seen as a fresh criticism of the state Congress leadership after he was replaced by Girish Chodankar as GPCC president.Sources said the equation could also be influenced by the newly floated Goa Congress Party, headed by Francisco Gouveia, hitherto unknown among political circles, which has sought Election Commission registration under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act. Its registered office is at Velsao, where Sardesai and Patkar shared the platform.Chodankar had alleged that BJP was backing the outfit to split the Congress vote in Salcete, while Congress has opposed its registration, alleging a BJP-backed attempt to confuse voters. Some observers, however, suspect the outfit could have links to disaffected Congress functionaries.The new party’s trajectory and the fate of the GFP-Congress alliance could determine whether the Sardesai-Patkar bonhomie develops into a broader political equation ahead of 2027, political observers say.
