Congress collapses in Goa as 8 MLAs join BJP months after loyalty pledge
Premium- The MLAs include Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo who had in January pledged their loyalty to the Congress at the Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji
PANAJI : Eight Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the Indian National Congress (INC) in Goa have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, 14 September, Goa Chief Minister and BJP leader Pramod Sawant informed. Sawant further added that the 8 MLAs have joined ‘unconditionally’.
Earlier Goa BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade had informed news agency PTI of the possible development. Pramod Sawant along with state BJP chief Sadanant Shet Tanavade held a press conference after the 8 Congress MLAs joined BJP and said that BJP's strength in the 40-member Assembly has gone up to 28 with the eight new entrants.
Goa Assembly
Earlier, in the 40-member Goa Assembly, the Congress had 11 legislators and the BJP had 20. The chief minister said eight of the 11 MLAs of Congress, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, have joined the BJP.
"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.
The eight MLAs who joined BJP are Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes.
Michael Lobo had earlier held a meeting with Congress and informed news agency ANI that they "would join BJP".
Pledge of loyalty blows up in air
Notably, the Congress Legislative members had on 22 January, ahead of the state Legislative election pledged their loyalty to Congress if they were elected. Congress had taken 36 of its election candidates to the Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji and the Holy Cross Shrine in Bambolim, while the 34 men in the group also went to the Hamza Shah Dargah in Betim, to pledge that if elected they would remain in the party through the term and not defect.
Almost six months into the pledge, in July, senior leaders Digamabar Kamat and Michael Lobo had been accused of engineering a defection of the 11 Congress MLAs to BJP. Both Kamat and Lobo had pledged loyalty in January. "At the feet of Goddess Mahalaxmi, all 36 of us pledge that we will remain loyal to the Congress party that has given us tickets. We pledge that the elected candidates will remain with the party in all circumstances …," the candidates had said at the temple.
Cong strung by resignations ahead of party president election
The grand old party has been hit by a string of resignation across the country including senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Gujarat Youth Congress President Vishwanathsinh Vaghela, Rajinder Prasad, who is also the son of late Master Beli Ram Sharma from Nowshera.
The election for the post of Congress party's President will be held on 17 October and counting will be done on 19 October. Several Congress leaders like Anand Sharma, Manish Tiwari, and Shashi Tharoor have raised concern over the election process related to Congress president.
Bharat Jodo Yatra
Rahul Gandhi had embarked on a 3,570-km 'Bharat Jodo Yatra (United India march)' on 7 September from Kanyakumari. The march will end at Jammu and Kashmir. Congress is seeking to flag economic disparities, social polarisation and political centralisation with the yatra.
The Congress Collapse in Goa comes at a time when Rahul has embarked on a journey to oppose the NDA government in the Centre.
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