Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held an organisational meeting with party office-bearers in Panaji as political activity in Goa intensified ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Kejriwal addressed AAP leaders at the meeting along with former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Goa unit president Valmiki Naik, senior vice-president Sandesh Teleikar-Desai, working president Gerson Gomes and organisational secretary Prashant Naik.
The party leaders discussed organisational preparedness for the Assembly polls and pledged to work towards defeating the BJP and Congress, which the AAP has described as a “joint venture” in Goa.
The meeting comes amid differences between the AAP and its newly formed alliance partner, Goa Forward Party (GFP), over the latter’s position on a broader opposition alliance.
The AAP and GFP had, on September 13, announced the “Goa First” alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections, positioning it as a non-BJP, non-Congress political alternative.
However, GFP chief Vijai Sardesai has since indicated that his party is open to a broader political realignment and has argued that the principal opposition Congress should not be kept out of efforts to challenge the BJP. On Thursday, Sardesai said the Opposition could not hope to defeat the BJP while keeping Congress outside the alliance.
The AAP, meanwhile, has maintained that the “Goa First” alliance is a non-Congress, non-BJP front and has questioned the GFP’s position following Sardesai’s remarks.
The organisational meeting was held as Kejriwal is on a multi-day visit to Goa, during which he has been holding meetings with party workers and other stakeholders.
AAP leaders at Thursday’s meeting reiterated their commitment to strengthening the party organisation in the state and taking on the BJP and Congress in the 2027 polls.
