Rahul Gandhi meets senior leaders on Goa polls, to hold discussion with state leaders on Tuesday

Back in the country after a brief journey abroad, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday held discussions with senior party leaders P Chidambaram and KC Venugopal to review the preparations and discuss on future strategy to be adopted for the Goa Assembly elections, including on alliance.

Sources said Rahul, who returned on Sunday night, will also meet state leaders to gauge their opinion and mood on the alliance for the Assembly polls.

Read | Cong to do well, TMC may flop in Goa polls: Observers

However Congress General Secretary (Organisation) Venugopal said, "the rumour in circulation that a possible alliance with Trinamool was discussed by Rahul Gandhi in today's meeting is completely baseless and untrue. Let me assure that the Congress party is confident- we will put Goa back on the path to progress soon."

The meetings come at a time Trinamool Congress has made a friendly gesture saying the party would do anything to ensure BJP's defeat. "Rest assured, we the Trinamool Congress will do everything possible to defeat BJP in Goa - Goa Forward Party, Goa Congress, Trinamool Goa and MGP," Trinamool Goa co-incharge Mahua Moitra tweeted last week.

After Moitra's tweet, Chidambaram had said that his party was ready to accept the support of any party that is keen to defeat the BJP. "The Congress is capable of defeating the BJP on its own, but if any party wants to support the Congress to defeat the BJP, why should I say no?...I have read the TMC's statement on alliance in the newspaper...let's wait for the official word," he had said.

Congress, whose 15 MLAs defected leaving it with just two lawmakers, has so far announced candidates for 17 seats in the state, including that of former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane and Digambar Kamat.

Read | Two Goa BJP MLAs quit, say party changed after Parrikar

Congress had on December 22 announced the candidature of Rane as its candidate from Poriem, a day after his son Vishwajit, a BJP Minister, asked him to retire gracefully and that he wants to contest against his father.

The party had on December 16 put on hold Rane's candidature when the first list was released, as party's Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted a note to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the pressure faced by the former Chief Minister from the family against contesting. However, there is still speculation and the central leadership is watching the situation carefully.

In what is good news for the Opposition, Goa minister Michael Lobo and BJP MLA Pravin Zantye resigned from the party as well as the Assembly on Monday. Lobo could be headed to Congress though he has said that he is considering all options.

Congress sources said it has earlier decided not to give tickets to any turncoats, as there is huge anti-incumbency and that voters had not taken the action of ditching their own party well.

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