PANAJI: Congress will get a clear majority in the February 14 Goa elections but "newcomers" like AAP and Trinamool Congress will not gain any "political dividend", senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Pilot said the Congress will form government in Goa after March 10, when counting of votes will be taken up. "It is interesting to see that many parties are trying to enter Goa. These parties which are contesting elections in Goa are doing a lot of chest-thumping and resource mobilisation but voters will look at the background of parties who are capable of delivering (on promises)," he said.
The Congress leader said that tactics like "poaching of candidates and using resources" will not sustain in a long run. "The TMC or AAP which want to try their luck in Goa will not gain any political dividend on March 10," he said.
Pilot said Congress is heading towards a clear majority in Goa, which has total of 40 seats up for grabs. "Congress will form a government in Goa which will deliver and will be transparent. The manifesto of the Congress will serve as a road map for government," he said.
Pilot said that this election has become interesting as various political parties have started raising the voice of Goans. "Indeed, we could not form a government last time (after 2017 polls in Goa), but it is also true that people of Goa had voted for Congress and its candidates," he said, adding that Congress stands for issues that are important for culture, heritage, history and future of the coastal state.
Pilot said that despite being in power at the Centre and in Goa, the BJP has not been able to resolve issues like mining. "The Goa government has failed on every contentious issue," he added.
In the 2017 Assembly polls, Congress won the maximum 17 of the 40 seats restricting the BJP at 13. However, BJP joined hands with regional allies to form a government under Manohar Parrikar (now deceased).
Over the last five years, the number of Congress MLAs reduced to just two as the bulk of its leaders have switched to other parties with at least two moving to Trinamool Congress. The Congress has already announced its pre-poll alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP), while the TMC has a tie-up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).