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With Goa gearing up for the 2027 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was aware that it would not be able to win in Goa, dismissing its promise of free electricity units as pre-election rhetoric and saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was focusing on solar self-sufficiency instead.
In an interview with ANI, Sawant said that his government's approach was different from "freebies". Rather than free electricity, it was focusing on self-sufficient electricity through solar panels under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, he said. "The Aam Aadmi Party knows that they will not win 100% in Goa. They will say 300 units, 600 units, and will talk about all the schemes of the social sector," Sawant said. Asked whether the BJP was also making freebie promises, Sawant highlighted that the solar systems would ultimately lead to lower electricity bills. "Under PM Surya Ghar Yojana, in Goa state, we have also started the Chief Minister's free electricity scheme. Under that, we are investing in solar rooftops with a minimum cost. So, we are talking about self-reliance in the power sector," he said. "Maximum people are going for the solar rooftop scheme. So, automatically, within a year, they will get a zero-bill system," he added. On expected opposition attacks over corruption during the polling campaigns, Sawant called it a routine practice. "This is a standard practice of the opposition, because corruption charges are always imposed everywhere," he said, pointing to the e-governance and e-services his government has introduced in six years. "Before this, they were never in Goa." Adressing the reason for political leaders switching parties around the elections, Sawant said small states like Goa see leaders switching to the BJP because they no longer see a future in their own parties. "No one is looking ahead in this way for the next 20-25 years. " He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work across the economy, infrastructure and human resource development for drawing people to the BJP. "People are definitely influenced by his work and join the BJP," he said. Meanwhile, the BJP governs Goa and emerged as the single largest party in 2022, winning 20 of 40 Assembly seats and reducing the Congress to 11. The next Assembly elections are expected in 2027. AAP governs Punjab under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and has a significant presence in Delhi. (ANI)
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