I.N.D.I.A. bloc fields AAP candidate for Zilla Panchayat bypoll in Goa

Panaji: The I.N.D.I.A. bloc has fielded Aam Aadmi Party's Joseph Gabriel Pimenta for the upcoming by-election of a Zilla Panchayat seat in South Goa.

Pimenta on Tuesday filed his nomination for the by-election of the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat, scheduled to be held on June 23.

The seat fell vacant after a court disqualified sitting member Hanzel Fernandes, who had become the first ever AAP elected representative in the coastal state, as his OBC certificate was found invalid.

Talking to reporters, AAP's Goa unit chief Amit Palekar said, "We had said the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Goa is going to be together not just for the Lok Sabha election but all future polls."

He said it was the aspiration of the people of Goa that the alliance continues in all elections, and the allies have pledged their support for the AAP in the by-election.

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Yuri Alemao said the I.N.D.I.A. bloc's success in the recent Lok Sabha election in Goa has reiterated the need for unity of the opposition parties.

Goa Forward Party (GFP) general secretary Durgadas Kamat said the INDI alliance will form the next government in the state.

The opposition has shown that together they can win, he said.