Congress's 27-Day March to Unite Opposition Against BJP in Goa

Thousands of Congress supporters, including prominent Opposition leaders, gathered in Aldona, North Goa, on Saturday, as the party's 27-day "Goy Rakhonn Yatra (Save Goa March)" began. The march, which will cover all 40 Assembly constituencies, aims to unite the Opposition against the BJP's "Everyone has to be united.

All the Opposition parties need to set aside together … to fight against the BJP and save Goa," said Arthur D'Mello. A resident of Moira in North Goa's Bardez taluka, during the Yatra.

The Congress has projected the yatra as a campaign against the BJP's "misrule", with land conversion, unemployment, and environmental degradation emerging as recurring concerns. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the 2022 Assembly elections, winning 20 of the 40 seats.

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The Congress won 11 seats, while the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have formed alliances to contest the elections.

Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act: A Core Issue.

This allows changes to the zoning of land parcels and modifications to the Regional Plan and Outline Development Plans at the direction of the government. Critics argue that such changes can undermine the state's planning framework and protections for ecologically sensitive areas.

We have a regional plan. But through these piecemeal conversions in the plan… the state’s ecology is being destroyed. This destruction has to be halted shared Carlos Ferreira.

The Congress MLA from Aldona, echoing the party's concerns over land conversion and environmental degradation.

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As the state'It's economic landscape shifts, the Congress is grappling with the complex issue of land ownership. There, Goans are priced out of their own market. Meanwhile, outsiders are snapping up villas.

A recent initiative aims to raise awareness among locals, with the party's leader highlighting the stark disparity in land affordability.

As the nationwide march is about to traverse all 40 Assembly constituencies, the Opposition is gearing up to pivot its campaign from concerns over land, ecology, and governance into a unified political agenda, with the goal of bridging internal party divisions that could impact the BJP's prospects in the 2027 elections.