Goa: 8 Congress MLAs including Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira & Rudolf Fernandes join BJP in presence of CM Pramod Sawant
The eight Congress MLAs, who jumped the ship, are Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rajesh Phaldesai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Aleixo Sequeira, and Rudolf Fernandes. They also met with CM Pramod Sawant, as per the reports of ANI.
The group is headed by Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat against whom the Congress had filed disqualification before the Speaker for allegedly trying to split the party.
In the 40-member Goa Assembly, the national old party has 11 legislators and the saffron party has 20.
"We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of PM Modi & CM Pramod Sawant... 'Congress chhodo, BJP ko jodo'," says former Congress MLA, Michael Lobo.
Goa CM Sawant, while speaking to the mediapersons, welcomed the eight MLAs and said, "I welcome the eight MLAs who have joined BJP today... Congress started the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', but I think 'Congress Chhodo Yatra' started in Goa. People from across the country are leaving Congress and joining BJP."
Michael Lobo after joining BJP told ANI, "All top Congress leaders who strengthened the party will leave it in the coming days because of too much of differences among themselves. We are representing the people, will have to hear their voices; told us to leave and we are leaving."
Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'
Congress party launched the 3,570 kilometre-long Bharat Jodo Yatra with the motto of highlighting economic disparities, social polarisation and political centralisation.
The rally is scheduled to begin from Kanyakumar and will culminate in Srinagar in Jammu. It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, and Pathankot during the journey.
Earlier attempts of Congress MLAs to switch to BJP
In a similar move in July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs had switched over to the BJP.
Earlier this year in July, ten out of total 11 Congress MLAs had decided to jump the ship. Five Congress MLAs, including Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, went incommunicado. However, they attended the Assembly proceedings on the first day of its monsoon session and claimed there was nothing wrong and they were with the party.
After some of the Congress Legislature party members did not attend a press conference called by Rao the same month, Amit Patkar had filed a disqualification plea against Kamat and Lobo before Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar.
After the party meeting, Lobo had told mediapersons that he was with Congress and there was a 'misunderstanding' as he could not attend the press conference.
