Panaji, Sep 16 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Goa unit on Tuesday announced the appointment of new taluka incharges in preparation for the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat elections, aimed at bolstering its grassroots presence across the state.

Accordingly, the party announced ten in charges for the talukas.

In a release issued here, AAP’s Goa president Adv. Amit Palekar stated that the new office-bearers would strengthen the organisational structure and lead election campaigns in every taluka.

The move is a part of AAP’s concerted effort to expand its footprint in local body elections.

“Our leaders will now be directly responsible for leading the party campaigns and connecting with voters at the taluka level,” he said, highlighting the strategic importance of the appointments.

The new taluka incharges are: Sunil Singnapurkar (Pernem), Shrikrishna Parab (Bicholim, Sattari), Rajesh Kalangutkar (Bardez), Vibhas Prabhudesai (Tiswadi), Sandesh Teleikar Dessai (Mormugao), Prof Ramarao Wagh (Ponda), Gerson Gomes (Salcete), James Fernandes (Quepem, Dharbandora), Patricia Fernandes (Sanguem), and Prashant Naik (Canacona).

The AAP, which holds two MLAs in the present Goa Assembly, is aiming to better its showing from the previous Zilla Panchayat elections, where it had managed to win only in Benaulim.

The party has maintained that it will contest the upcoming local body polls independently, without forming alliances.

AAP’s foray into Goan politics began in 2014, when it contested both Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Though it did not win, the party managed to secure a vote share of more than 3 per cent in the state.

Three years later, in the 2017 Assembly elections, its vote share rose to more than 6 per cent, but the effort did not translate into seats.

The turning point came in the 2020 Zilla Panchayat elections, where the party registered its first-ever electoral victory in the state by winning the Benaulim seat.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, the party went on to win two constituencies and secured a vote share of nearly 7 per cent.

Venzy Viegas emerged victorious in Benaulim, while Cruz Silva secured a win in Velim, giving the party a presence in the Goa Legislative Assembly for the first time.

–IANS

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