Split in Goa Congress? New state chief calls it BJP's game plan to divide votes

Summary

The Goa Congress appears to be heading towards a split after internal dissent intensified over the appointment of Girish Chodankar as the new president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), sources told India Today TV . Amid the growing rift, a group of party members has issued a public notice proposing the registration of a new political outfit, the Goa Congress Party, signalling the possibility of a formal breakaway from the Congress. Sources said the Goa Congress unit has remained deeply divided since Chodankar's appointment, with a section of disgruntled leaders now moving ahead with plans to launch a separate party. Responding to the development, the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the move to split the opposition vote ahead of the Assembly elections. In a statement, the Goa Congress said Chodankar had recently warned that the BJP was planning to float a new 'secular' party in the Salcete region with a budget of Rs 100 crore to divide Congress and secular votes. The party claimed that the emergence of the proposed Goa Congress Party had validated that prediction. Reiterating its charge, the Congress leader accused the BJP of attempting to divide secular votes through money, political influence and proxy parties. The BJP has maintained complete silence on this -- no denial, no clarification. In a post on X, the senior Congress leader also rejected claims of any split in the party, adding that any attempt to spread rumours will not succeed. "Let me make one thing absolutely clear: there is no split in the Congress.