Eight Congress lawmakers from Goa jump ship to BJP
Goa Congress MLAs defect to BJP
Even as Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi is busy touring across India for his ‘Bharat Jodo’ (unite India) rally, eight of its lawmakers from Goa, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, joined the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Following the defection of 8 MLAs, Congress is left with only three lawmakers in the 40-member state Assembly.
One of the defectors, Michael Lobo, indicated that more people are about to leave the Congress party, saying that it is riddled with infighting.
“All top Congress leaders who strengthened the party will leave it in the coming days because of too much of differences among themselves. We're representing the people, will have to hear their voices; told us to leave and we are leaving,” Michael Lobo told ANI news agency shortly after joining BJP.
“People of Goa have told us that 'Bharat Jodo yatra' is not going to be a success because of big infighting amongst the topmost leaders of the Congress party,” he added.
Addressing a press conference with state BJP chief Sadanant Shet Tanavade, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that BJP's strength in the 40-member Assembly has increased to 28, with the inclusionof eight new entrants.
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"With today's development, the BJP now enjoys the support of 33 MLAs (including two of the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party and three Independents). These Congress MLAs have joined the BJP unconditionally," Sawant said.
Taking pot shots, Sawant said that 'the Congress chhodo yatra' (leave Congress rally) has begun from Goa and expressed confidence that the BJP will win another Lok Sabha seat in Goa in the next elections.
The latest defection comes almost a month after veteran Kashmir leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quit Congress, saying that the party was comprehensively destroyed while slamming Rahul Gandhi for "demolishing" its entire consultative mechanism.
The defections had also cost Congress over the years, as lost power in states such as Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka following infighting among the members.
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