AAP and Goa Forward Party Form 'Goa First' Alliance for 2027 Elections

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) formally announced an alliance called 'Goa First' on Sunday to contest the 2027 Assembly elections in Goa. During a joint press conference, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and GFP chief Vijai Sardesai described the tie-up as a non-BJP and non-Congress platform intended to provide a credible alternative for voters. Both leaders accused the BJP and Congress of deceiving the people of Goa, citing a history of MLA defections that allowed the BJP to form governments despite not having a clear mandate in previous cycles.

Kejriwal alleged a collusion between the BJP and Congress, claiming the current government is driven by money and interests of the mafia rather than ideology. Sardesai added that issues such as corruption, unemployment, and environmental degradation are rooted in the culture of defection. He stated that the alliance aims to prioritize the interests of the sons of the soil. Regarding the recent defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP, Kejriwal stated that while those individuals betrayed the party, AAP's elected representatives have never betrayed the trust of the voters.

In the 2022 elections, the AAP won two seats with 6.77 percent of the vote, while the GFP won one seat with 1.78 percent of the vote. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 20 of the 40 seats, while the Congress won 11. Following the 2022 polls, eight Congress MLAs defected to the BJP. The GFP had previously contested the 2017 polls as part of the BJP-led NDA but left in 2019. Sardesai defended his party's past actions by stating that a whole party changing sides does not constitute defection.