Goa Cong in Poll Mode, to Launch Mass Contact Programme in Jan

Panaji, Dec 8 (PTI) The Congressin Goa has started preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with a state -wide mass contact programme slated to be launched early next month, a senior party functionary said Saturday.

The coastal state has two Lok Sabha seats - South Goa and North Goa - and both are currently held by the ruling BJP.

The main opposition party will launch `Jan Sampark Abhiyaan' from January 5 during which its workers will meet people across the state and apprise them about the "failures" of the BJP-led governments in Goa and at the Centre, said All- India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary A Chellakumar.

The party is already mid-way through its `Jan Akrosh Abhiyaan', launched last week to demand "restoration" of governance in the state in the wake of ill-health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Chellakumar was addressing a press conference after a party meeting attended by the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee and Congress Legislature Party members.

The meeting discussed strategy for the upcoming parliamentary polls.

"Congress party will win all the upcoming elections in the state considering the mood of the people. The collapse of administration and CM continuing in the chair despite his ill- health has upset the people of Goa," Chellakumar said.

The AICC secretary was flanked by Leader of Opposition in the assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat at the press meet.

Chellakumar said organisational matters were discussed during the meeting and decisions were taken to strengthen the party at the grassroots level ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and also by-elections to Shiroda and Mandrem assembly seats.

The two constituencies fell vacant after their sitting MLAs, elected on the Congress ticket in 2017, resigned from the House and also the party, and joined the BJP.

"After the Jan Akrosh Abhiyaan, it was decided to launch `Jan Sampark Abhiyaan' from January 5 wherein Congress workers will visit the houses of people in different constituencies and expose the mistakes and failures of the BJP governments at Centre and in the state," Chellakumar said.

Kamat said the `Jan Aakrosh' agitation represents the sentiments and anger of people for the "absence" of governance since the last nine months in the wake of Parrikar's illness.

He said the `Jan Akrosh Abhiyaan' will culminate on December20 with a public gathering at the historic Lohia Maidan in Margao near here.

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