AAP, Goa Forward Party join hands for 2027 polls, form 'Goa First' alliance

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Goa Forward Party have joined hands for the 2027 Goa Assembly elections, with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announcing a new alliance called “Goa First” and pitching it as a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative in the coastal state.Kejriwal said the alliance was aimed at giving voters an option beyond the BJP and Congress, accusing the two parties of fighting during elections but working together behind closed doors to form governments.“

The Goa Forward Party and the Aam Aadmi Party have come together to form ‘Goa First’, an alliance to give the people of Goa a real alternative,” Kejriwal said.“ The people of Goa have been cheated twice. They won’t be cheated a third time. BJP and Congress may fight during elections, but behind closed doors, they come together, make deals and help each other form governments,” he added.“ Goa deserves a real alternative, one that truly puts Goa first.”

The elections to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly are due before March 2027. KEJRIWAL TAKES AIM AT BJP-CONGRESSKejriwal also attacked the BJP-led government in Goa, arguing that the presence of a large number of former Congress leaders within the government showed that it could not genuinely be described as either a BJP or Congress government.“ When more than half of the BJP government consists of Congressmen, it is clear that this is neither a BJP nor a Congress government.

It is a government of money and mafia, where the priority is ‘Pocket First’, not ‘Goa First’,” he said.Kejriwal further claimed that BJP leaders were openly saying that the party could form the government with just six seats, and questioned how that would be possible without Congress support.“ BJP leaders openly claim that even with six seats, they can form the government. How? With Congress’s support,” he said.“ The people of Goa deserve better.

They want change,” Kejriwal added.The alliance brings together two parties that are positioning themselves as a third political front outside the BJP-Congress contest in Goa.WHO IS IN THE ‘GOA FIRST’ ALLIANCE? The Goa Forward Party is a regional outfit led by former deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai, who is currently the party’s lone MLA in the 40-member state Assembly.The AAP has two MLAs in Goa - Venzy Viegas from Benaulim and Cruz Silva from Velim, both in South Goa.The two parties have now come together under the “Goa First” banner ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.AAP TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH RAJYA SABHA NOMINEESKejriwal also said in Goa that the AAP would be more cautious while selecting its Rajya Sabha nominees in the future, following instances of party MPs leaving the organisation.The remark comes amid questions over the party’s approach to choosing its nominees for the Upper House and the political fallout from some of its MPs subsequently leaving the party.AAP CLAIMS ‘COMFORTABLE POSITION’ IN PUNJABMeanwhile, the AAP projected confidence about retaining power in Punjab, with party state unit president and cabinet minister Aman Arora saying the party was in “a very comfortable position” to form the government again.Arora was speaking at a press conference on Saturday following the extradition of gangster Amritpal Singh from Moldova.

He was asked about the AAP’s survey covering all Assembly constituencies in Punjab.“ AAP is in a very comfortable position in forming the government in the state,” Arora said.He attributed the party’s position to what he described as public appreciation for the Bhagwant Mann government’s work.“ Last time, the AAP formed the government on the Delhi model of governance and over the failure of the previous governments and political parties,” Arora said.“

Today 3 crore Punjabis have seen the governance and are appreciating the work of the government in Punjab, because of which we are in a comfortable position to form the government,” he added.The Punjab Assembly has 117 seats and elections are due early next year, putting the AAP government in campaign mode ahead of the poll.While the party is seeking another term in Punjab, its Goa unit is preparing for a different electoral battle, with the new “Goa First” alliance positioning the AAP and GFP as an alternative to the BJP and Congress.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Sep 13, 2026 16:23 IST