NCP to support Congress in Goa

Panaji, March 23: After dithering for months, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party on Sunday finally announced that the two parties would continue their alliance in Goa for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a joint press conference, state presidents of both the parties said the alliance would help secure "secular" votes in the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa and help defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"With this alliance we have become undefeatable," Congress state president John Fernandes told reporters here.

NCP president Nilkanth Halarnkar admitted there was delay on his party’s end to formalise the alliance, but also added that without a tie-up, the BJP would have benefited.

"That was the reason why we finally said yes," Halarnkar said.

The NCP had earlier threatened to pull out of the alliance if it was not allotted one of the two Lok Sabha seats.