Unity on everyone’s lips, but can Goa oppositions unite ahead of 2027 polls?

Unity is the word on everyone's lips as Goa opposition parties prepare for the 2027 assembly elections. <source>Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge</source> expressed his desire for all opposition parties to come together and fight as one, assuring that the Goa congress leaders will work together courageously. <source>The Congress has reached out</source> to the AAP and regional outfits like the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party for talks on a possible alliance against the BJP.<source>State Congress president Girish Chodankar</source> said that they are still open to parties who are willing to take on the BJP, and have spoken to leaders Viresh Borkar and Valmiki Naik, both of whom have stated they are open to an alliance, provided a common minimum programme is agreed upon. <source>Both have publicly said they were not opposed</source> to an alliance, but stressed that it would only be possible if the opposition parties can agree on a common minimum programme.

The reasons for pushing for unity are clear. In the 2022 general assembly elections, Goa saw a five-cornered contest, with the BJP winning 20 seats out of 40. Post-election, the Goa Congress in-charge attributed the result to the "hopelessly split" votes among opposition parties. This has shaped the opposition's thinking and demanded united front against the BJP.

Activists under the name 'Priority Goa' have demanded that opposition parties contest unitedly 'one-on-one' against the BJP, arguing that fragmented opposition votes allow the BJP to win without majority support. Political parties have echoed this sentiment, with AAP ready to work towards reducing the BJP to single digits through an alliance, but Congress pushing for seat sharing and a common minimum programme that includes issues like 39A, a controversial section of Goa’s Town and Country Planning Act.

The RGP, although willing to align, demands that talks conclude within 30 days and that the alliance is founded on a common understanding of Goa's identity, land, employment, environment, and social and cultural character. However, the Goa Forward Party has publicly expressed its unwillingness to join a joint opposition alliance, citing the Congress's behaviour and suspicions of a "hat-trick" of defections.