A Vote For Congress An "Indirect Vote For BJP": Arvind Kejriwal To NDTV

Arvind Kejriwal said the Congress has ruled Goa for several years, but has been turned into a "cadre feeder" for the BJP. "People join the Congress to become a leader and then switch to BJP," he said.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today took a swipe at the Congress, saying a vote for it in Goa will mean an "indirect vote" for the BJP, given the trend of Congressmen joining the ruling party. The battle in Goa, therefore, is between the AAP and the BJP, he added, urging people to vote for his party to see the BJP out.

"The people of Goa have a choice between AAP and BJP. If you want a clean, honest government, you can vote for AAP. The other option is to vote for the BJP directly or indirectly. Indirect voting is when you vote for the Congress, that Congress man will win and go to the BJP," Mr Kejriwal said at the NDTV townhall.

The reference was to the situation since the 2017 elections in the coastal state. The Congress, which emerged as the single largest party in the election with 17 MLAs, now has just two. Most of the rest have joined the BJP after it formed the government in the state.

Yesterday, all 40 candidates of AAP signed a legally enforceable loyalty pledge, promising to not to defect and provide a clean, corruption-free government if elected.