Goa: Eight Congress MLAs set to join BJP today, meet CM Pramod Sawant in Assembly |GROWMUDRA

Goa: Eight Congress MLAs set to join BJP today, meet CM Pramod Sawant in Assembly

14 Sep , 2022 By : Monika Singh

The Congress in Goa is set for a huge blow on Wednesday with the BJP claiming that eight out of its 11 MLAs in the state Assembly will join the party today. News agency PTI quoted BJP Goa chief Sadanand Tanavade as saying that the legislators will join the BJP today.

In apparent signs of confirmation of the BJP leader’s claim, a photograph showed the rebel Congress leaders meeting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the Assembly complex.

Among those set to join the BJP today include former chief minister Digambar Kamat, former leader of opposition in the state Assembly Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes. The photograph shows all dissident leaders meeting the Goa Chief Minister as well.

With nearly four and half years left to go for Goa’s next legislative assembly polls, the party will be left with only three MLAs in the Assembly. In this particular case, disqualification under the anti-defection law will not apply to the leaders who leave Congress and merged with the BJP as they constitute more than two-thirds of the party legislators in the state.

The MLAs are currently at the Speaker’s chamber as reporters were barred from entering the assembly premises, according to reports. The meeting with the Speaker comes at an odd time when the state assembly is not in session.

In July, Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo was removed from his post as five Congress legislators had gone “incommunicado.” The party had then blamed Kamat and Lobo for trying to break away from the party and join hands with the BJP.

The other MLAs who went missing in July were Kedar Naik, Rajesh Faldesai and Deliahlah Lobo, wife of Michael Lobo. Three years ago, 10 legislators from the party had crossed over to the BJP.

With the potential merger, the Congress would be reduced to three MLAs in the 40-member strong Goa state assembly, while the BJP will have the support of 33 legislators, including two from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three independent MLAs.