Panaji: The Opposition Congress on Tuesday launched a 27-day statewide march, the "Goy Rakhonn Yatra" (Save Goa March), which party leaders said will visit all 40 assembly constituencies ahead of the state polls expected by March next year, according to PTI.
Leaders flag off march in Panaji; formal start set for Priol
Several senior party leaders and legislators led a procession through parts of the state capital on Tuesday as the preliminary event for the yatra. The formal flagging off of the 27-day campaign is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the Priol assembly constituency, where All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal is expected to inaugurate the march, PTI reported.
The procession in Panaji included All India Congress Committee Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare, co-incharge Anjali Nimbalkar, state Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, MLAs Altone D’Costa and Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar, and the party’s local unit working president Sunil Kawthankar, the report said.
Purpose and promises
According to Yuri Alemao, the yatra is intended to reach out to voters across every constituency to gather grievances and suggestions that will inform the Congress manifesto. The party said it will listen to people across the state before finalising policies it intends to implement if elected.
“The main aim of this march is to expose how the BJP government has sold Goa to the outsiders,” Alemao said, according to PTI.
Alemao also alleged that the state government had introduced laws that allow unfettered changes in land use and claimed that corruption was widespread under the ruling dispensation. He added that voters had decided not to re-elect the same government in the forthcoming election, the report said.
Background and context
The yatra comes as Goa heads towards assembly elections, constitutionally due by March next year. The Congress had contested the 2022 polls in alliance with the Goa Forward Party and together won 12 seats, with the Congress itself securing 11 seats. The 2022 result was followed by defections: eight Congress MLAs subsequently left the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, a development that reshaped Goa’s legislative arithmetic.
With all 40 assembly constituencies in focus, the yatra represents a concentrated campaign effort by the Congress to rebuild local organisation, engage directly with voters and frame an electoral narrative ahead of the polls. Party leaders said feedback gathered during the tour will be used to draft the manifesto.
What the yatra will involve
- Duration: 27 days.
- Geography: Will visit all 40 assembly constituencies across Goa.
- Leadership: To be formally flagged off by AICC general secretary K C Venugopal in Priol; state leadership and MLAs are participating.
| Leader | Role (as reported) |
|---|---|
| Yuri Alemao | Leader of Opposition, Goa |
| Girish Chodankar | Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President |
| K C Venugopal | AICC General Secretary (to flag off in Priol) |
Potential impact and campaign focus
The Congress has framed the yatra around themes of land use, governance and alleged corruption, signalling that these will be central to its campaign messaging. By aiming to meet voters in every constituency, the party is attempting both to shore up grassroots support and to identify constituency-specific issues that can be folded into a state-level manifesto.
Political observers note that targeted outreach across all constituencies can help a party rebuild organisational networks and generate local platforms for debate over development, environment and livelihoods — all salient in a small state like Goa where constituency margins can be narrow. The party’s emphasis on land-use laws and alleged transfers of control to non-resident interests signals a bid to mobilise voters concerned about environmental and local-community impacts, as well as broader governance questions.
Next steps
The yatra will proceed through the state over the next 27 days. The Congress has said the inputs collected during the tour will be collated and used to shape its election manifesto. Party leaders will also use the yatra to publicise their critique of the incumbent government and to present Congress alternatives ahead of the assembly polls.
