On September 14, eight out of eleven MLAs of Congress in Goa, including former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat and leader of opposition Michael Lobo are set to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as per reports.
With the shift of eight MLAs, Congress has reduced to three MLAs in the state. BJP, which has 20 MLAs out of 25 MLAs of NDA, is set to improve its number. Reports of Congress MLAs leaving the party came at the time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on the “mission” to “jodo” India via his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’ The eight ‘rebels’ also had a meeting with the Goa CM Pramod Sawant.
Goa | 8 Congress MLAs incl Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira & Rudolf Fernandes to join BJP today; also met with CM Pramod Sawant
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2022
As per reports, Lobo had a crucial meeting with the members of the Congress Legislature Party and resolved to merge with BJP. Other leaders joining BJP are Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, and Rudolf Fernandes. In July this year, the Congress party removed Michael Lobo from the position of the leader of opposition in the Goa state legislative assembly hours after rumours of him leaving the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Notably, before the reports came out about the shift, Congress leader Manish Tiwari had hinted ‘something was cooking’ in Goa. He said in a Tweet, “A cuckoo bird is chiming. Something is apparently cooking in an erstwhile Portuguese Territory. Does not smell good! Hope the cuckoo bird is wrong.”
A cuckoo bird is chiming Something is apparently cooking in an erstwhile Portuguese Territory . Does not smell good…….! Hope the cuckoo bird is wrong…….
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) September 14, 2022
In January 2022, those who contested the elections on Congress ticket had taken an oath in front of the Gods to remain loyal to the party.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Goa Congress leaders broke away from the party and joined BJP. In July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs shifted to BJP. As a result, BJP became the single largest party allowing them to toss away the coalition partner Goa Forward Party. At present, Goa Forward Party has only one MLA in the assembly who sits in the opposition under UPA’s banner.
