PANAJI: Seven of the eight MLAs who defected to BJP last week met Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda at the party headquarters in Delhi on Monday. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, who accompanied the MLAs along with state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, told TOI that Shah and Nadda urged the MLAs to work for the development of the state, and that BJP should win both Lok Sabha seats in Goa. The Goan contingent, however, had to return without meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cancelled the appointment at the last minute. Sawant told TOI that Modi cancelled the meeting because of his busy schedule, and that they would meet him next time. The meeting between the MLAs, Shah and Nadda took half an hour, and various issues were discussed. The seven MLAs are former CM Digambar Kamat (Margao), Aleixo Sequeira (Nuvem), Rodolfo Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Delilah Lobo (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao), and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was not part of the group, as he is in Kenya. Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque, taking a vow not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the CLP into BJP taking the saffron party’s strength to 28 in the 40-member House. The three MLAs who remain with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. The merger of the CLP into BJP was held considering the upcoming Lok Sabha election, where BJP is eying both seats, especially South Goa, which has proved tough for the party to secure. So far, BJP has only won that seat twice. Chief minister Pramod Sawant is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from Delhi. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be the first to be inducted, political sources said. Whether Margao MLA Digambar Kamat is to be inducted in the state cabinet or moved to Delhi will be taken by the central leadership, a senior BJP leader had said. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. The chief minister said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting.
PANAJI/VASCO: Chief minister Pramod Sawant will lead the seven MLAs, who merged the Congress legislative wing into BJP, in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Sawant said that the seven MLAs will meet the PM, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. “Our visit to Delhi is purely meant to meet party leaders,” the chief minister told TOI at the Goa airport. Sawant, accompanied by BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar and five of the newly inducted MLAs left for Delhi by a late evening flight on Sunday. Tanavade said that other than meeting the PM, Union home minister and party’s national president, “nothing else has been planned during our scheduled visit to Delhi”. Michael Lobo told TOI that he is unable to attend the meeting on Monday as he is currently in Kenya and will return on Thursday. The five newly inducted MLAs who accompanied the CM and Tanavade on the flight to Delhi are Sankalp Amonkar, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Rudolf Fernandes and Aleixo Sequeira. Sources said that Digambar Kamat and Rajesh Phaldesai have already reached the national capital. The chief minister is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from Delhi. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and former leader of opposition and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo along with six other MLAs “merged” the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) with BJP, last week. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. The chief minister said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be first to be inducted. Whether Kamat is to be inducted in the state cabinet or moved to Delhi will be taken by the central leadership, a senior BJP leader said. Besides Kamat and Lobo, the other MLAs who joined BJP are Sequeira, Rodolfo Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Michael’s wife Delilah (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao) and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking a vow not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the CLP into BJP taking the saffron party’s strength to 28 in the 40-member House. The three MLAs who remained with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. The merger was held considering the upcoming Lok Sabha seat where BJP is eyeing to win both the seats especially the South Goa one which has proved tough to secure. So far BJP has only won the seat twice.
PANAJI: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant will lead the 8 MLAs, who merged the Congress legislative wing into BJP, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Sawant told TOI that the eight MLAs will meet the Prime Minister, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda. The chief minister is likely to reshuffle his cabinet after returning from the national capital. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and former leader of opposition and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo along with six other MLAs “merged” the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) with BJP, last week. Ahead of the Delhi visit, Sawant also attended the coordination meeting called by RSS. He said that all the organisations connected with RSS attended the meeting. Sawant is likely to induct one minister initially. Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira is likely to be first to be inducted.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said he will be traveling to Delhi with the eight newly inducted MLAs, who defected to the BJP from the Congress. Sawant and the MLAs are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national Capital.The chief minister, who attended an annual meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday, said, “A meeting with the PM has been fixed. I will go with the eight MLAs and the (Goa BJP) president,” he told reporters.Eight MLAs – including former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat and former leader of Opposition Micheal Lobo – who were elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly on Congress tickets, defected to the BJP on September 14, in a merger of the two legislature parties. With this, the Congress’s strength declined from 11 to just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly and that of the BJP increased from 20 to 28.In July 2019, two-thirds (then 10 out of 15) of the Congress MLAs had defected to the BJP in a similar fashion. Back then too, the defections took place while Sawant helmed the government.The recent developments have dealt a blow to the Congress at a time when party leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is underway. Along with Kamat and Lobo, MLAs including Lobo’s wife Delilah, former minister Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar, Kedar Naik, Rajesh Phal Dessai and Rudolfo Fernandes were welcomed into the saffron party by Pramod Sawant and state BJP chief Sadanand Tanavade last week.Sawant had said, “Congress has started a Bharat Jodo Yatra but in Goa the Congress Chhodo Yatra has begun. I welcome the new MLAs in BJP wholeheartedly… Before the election, we had resolved ‘Bavisaant Baavis plus (22 plus MLAs in 2022)’ and before 2022 comes to an end, the BJP has 28 of its own MLAs and the BJP’s foundation in Goa has been strengthened. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, we will definitely win both Parliamentary seats. With Congress Chhodo Yatra beginning in Goa, various Congress leaders from across the country will come to the BJP in the interest of the nation and give more strength to Modi-ji. And Modi-ji will be back as the Prime Minister in 2024 with over 400 (parliamentary) seats.”After the Assembly election results were declared on March 10, the BJP had formed the government with 20 of its own MLAs and support from two MLAs from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents. With eight Congress MLAs switching to the treasury benches in a merger of the legislature parties, the BJP now has 28 MLAs of its own and support from five, raising its tally to 33. The Opposition now consists of three Congress MLAs, two from the AAP and one each from the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party.Stung first in 2019 with 10 of its 15 MLAs walking over to the BJP, the Congress had averted a repeat of the incident in July and accused Kamat and Lobo of engineering the defection of its MLAs. The party had also filed disqualification petitions against the two leaders before the Speaker of the Assembly. But the storm seemed to have blown over only for a while. With their respective trips to Delhi, both Kamat and Lobo had made it apparent that their entry into the BJP was imminent.Ahead of the Assembly election in February, the Congress had for the first time taken its election candidates to a temple, church and a dargah where they, led by Kamat, took an oath that they would stay in the Congress if elected on a party ticket. Later, they also filed affidavits to this effect in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.Asked if their oath before Goa was insincere, Kamat said: “I am a believer in God. About the oath which I have taken before God, I have gone back to the temple and I have asked God and the Goddess that this (joining BJP) is in my mind. What should I do? We have a system of getting prasad. Then God said, you go ahead, don’t worry.”AICC Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao had alleged that the BJP had paid Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore to each of the MLAs who jumped ship. He said that the BJP had spent Rs 240 crore for splitting the Congress in Goa.Goa BJP president Sadanand Tanavade had then said, “We did not go seeking any MLAs. They formed their group and said that they want to join our party. We have not given a single rupee to any one or made any promises. They have come on their own and they have come unconditionally. The Congress only wants to make such allegations against us to divert people’s attention.”
PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the panchayat's role is not just restricted to granting construction licences, but to also serve the people, maintain cleanliness, conserve water bodies, and other related aspects. Sawant was speaking during the inauguration of a training programme by Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD) for newly-elected representatives of village panchayats at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Thursday. The chief minister urged the panchs to be the link person between the government and reach out to the last person in society. He said told the panchs that they have a role to play in identifying persons with disabilities who require implants and assistive devices in their wards and help them in getting the devices which the government provides for free. Similarly, panch members can play a role in monitoring and identifying children under the age of six who require cochlear implant operation which costs over Rs 6 lakh where the family won't have to spend any money, he said. "If you identify children who are hearing impaired as early as possible, you can facilitate them and direct them to GMC, and they won't have to spend anything for the operation," Sawant said. He narrated the incident of a 34-year-old woman who suffered a spinal cord injury and was at home for four years, and she couldn't afford a wheelchair. The government provided her one and it was for the first time that she had gotten out of her house. "Whatever the cost of the wheelchair and other assistive devices, the government can bear the expenses," Sawant said. Sawant said Goa's utilisation of central government schemes is low compared to other states, despite it being an educated state, and urged panch members to reach out to those living in poverty and link them with schemes including self-sustaining schemes.
With eight of its 11 MLAs in Goa joining the BJP on Wednesday, the Congress party faced a second major instance of defection in the state in the past three-and-a-half years of BJP rule under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.Despite his personal winning margin having shrunk to 666 votes in this year’s Assembly election, the BJP’s central leadership had decided to keep Sawant as Goa’s Chief Minister. He was, however, not without a challenger. Until the day Sawant was declared Chief Minister for a second time in March, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was very much in the reckoning for the top job. Tensions between Sawant and Rane have been no secret in Goa’s politics, and spilt over during the time the state was reeling under a crisis in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic amid deaths of patients in the Goa Medical College in May 2021. Of late, there have been fewer manifestations of these tensions.The latest defection of Congress MLAs, which follows a similar move by 10 of the party’s Goa MLAs in 2019, is likely to cement Sawant’s position as the BJP’s top leader in the coastal state. When Sawant welcomed the Congress defectors into the party fold at the BJP headquarters in Panaji on Wednesday, he was asked if raising the BJP’s tally in the 40-member House from 20 to 28 gave him an advantage. “I am saying this again. The BJP is a party that has a central leadership. We are not a regional party. We are constantly working in the interest of the country,” he responded.In July, when an attempt at the defection that came through on Wednesday was foiled, Sawant had said that the BJP had a stable government in Goa and did not need any more MLAs. On Wednesday, he said, “If people want to come and join us, they are welcome.” Asked if any of the newly inducted MLAs would be accommodated in his Cabinet, he said, “That we will see. They have been accommodated in the party. They have joined us unconditionally.”That this decision was taken with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was apparent when Sawant said, “…the BJP’s foundation in Goa has been strengthened. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, we will definitely win both the Parliamentary seats.”The BJP has been determined to wrest the South Goa parliamentary seat from the Congress. The entry of former chief minister and eight-time Margao MLA Digambar Kamat into the BJP fold gave fresh wind to speculation that he could be the party’s candidate from South Goa in 2024.Asked on Wednesday if a Cabinet berth or a ticket to contest the parliamentary election from South Goa were among his expectations on his return to the BJP, Kamat said, “I am such a senior leader. I have no expectations. I have joined them unconditionally.”Making inroads into the Catholic-dominated Salcete taluka has been among the BJP’s main challenges in South Goa. However, in the last Assembly election, with Opposition votes split between the Congress, AAP and TMC, the BJP won the Navelim seat and secured one MLA in Salcete, which is spread out over eight Assembly constituencies. With the addition of former minister Aleixo Sequeira to the BJP on Wednesday, the saffron party may also be hopeful of securing more votes from the Nuvem Assembly constituency, which is also in Salcete. With the addition of four Catholic MLAs — three in North Goa and one in the South — the number of Catholic MLAs in the BJP climbed from five to nine.The BJP, which formed the government in the state with the support of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three Independents, has the support of two Independent Catholic MLAs from Salcete.Goa BJP president Sadanand Tanavade said that Kamat’s entry into the party would help the BJP in Margao, the majority-dominated constituency of Salcete. “In Margao, this will definitely help us. He has been an MLA eight times.”“Leaders of other parties have seen the good work done by the BJP government in Goa and at the Centre under the leadership of PM Modi. This is happening all over the country. More and more leaders want to join the BJP because they have seen our work,” Tanavade said.While mid-term changes in leadership are not alien to BJP-governed states, Sawant may have put speculation over this to rest in Goa with Wednesday’s events coming on the back of comfortably forming a government in March and scoring big in the panchayat elections in the state in August.
PANAJI: With eight Congress MLAs defecting to BJP, the saffron party is eyeing both Lok Sabha seats for the 2024 polls, especially South Goa, which it has historically found tough to secure. BJP currently has 12 MLAs in South Goa, including the three who joined on Wednesday. Former defence minister and chief minister Manohar Parrikar had managed to secure the South Goa seat for BJP in 2014, when he had 21 BJP MLAs and with the support of three MGP MLAs and two independents. Additionally, there was a 'Modi wave'. Five years later, in 2019, BJP lost the seat to Congress by over 9,000 votes. A political observer said that the merger of eight MLAs into BJP has given it an opportunity to once again grab the South Goa seat. "Now, BJP can expect more votes in Mormugao, Nuvem and Margao," the observer said. "An advantage is that MGP too is with BJP. During the last election, MGP had managed to damage BJP after its leader Ramakrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar was dropped from the cabinet. BJP should be able to fight the election comfortably, as it also has support from independent MLAs." BJP has so far won the South Goa seat on two occasions, and with an eye on crossing 400 seats in the Parliamentary polls, winning South Goa has become crucial for the state BJP. The party's central leadership too strongly backed the local leadership to allow the entry of Congress MLAs, so that there are no hiccups in winning both the seats. Union minister Narayan Rane has been given the responsibility of winning the South Goa seat for BJP. Of BJP's 28 MLAs, 12 are from the minority community. Now, the party does not require support of any other MLAs. In the 2022 assembly election, BJP won 20 seats and formed the government with the help of independents and MGP. In the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, 21 is the magic number, and with the eight Congress MLAs joining BJP, it has now got an 'absolute' majority in the House. The merger will also help chief minister Pramod Sawant silence opponents in the party vying for the top post.
Panaji: With eight Congress MLAs defecting to BJP, the saffron party is eyeing both Lok Sabha seats for the 2024 polls, especially South Goa, which it has historically found tough to secure.BJP currently has 12 MLAs in South Goa, including the three who joined on Wednesday.Former defence minister and chief minister Manohar Parrikar had managed to secure the South Goa seat for BJP in 2014, when he had 21 BJP MLAs and with the support of three MGP MLAs and two independents. Additionally, there was a ‘Modi wave’. Five years later, in 2019, BJP lost the seat to Congress by over 9,000 votes.A political observer said that the merger of eight MLAs into BJP has given it an opportunity to once again grab the South Goa seat.“Now, BJP can expect more votes in Mormugao, Nuvem and Margao,” the observer said. “An advantage is that MGP too is with BJP. During the last election, MGP had managed to damage BJP after its leader Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar was dropped from the cabinet. BJP should be able to fight the election comfortably, as it also has support from independent MLAs.”BJP has so far won the South Goa seat on two occasions, and with an eye on crossing 400 seats in the Parliamentary polls, winning South Goa has become crucial for the state BJP. The party’s central leadership too strongly backed the local leadership to allow the entry of Congress MLAs, so that there are no hiccups in winning both the seats.Union minister Narayan Rane has been given the responsibility of winning the South Goa seat for BJP.Of BJP’s 28 MLAs, 12 are from the minority community. Now, the party does not require support of any other MLAs. In the 2022 assembly election, BJP won 20 seats and formed the government with the help of independents and MGP. In the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, 21 is the magic number, and with the eight Congress MLAs joining BJP, it has now got an ‘absolute’ majority in the House.The merger will also help chief minister Pramod Sawant silence opponents in the party vying for the top post.
PANAJI: Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) Narayan Rane on Saturday said that with 12 MLAs in South Goa and the BJP government in the state, the party is confident of winning the South Goa seat for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He also expressed confidence that that BJP will win both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa. “BJP will 100% win the South Goa seat,” Rane said. Till date, BJP has won the South Goa seat only on two occasions. Currently, the seat is represented by Congress MP Francisco Sardinha. Rane said that MGP will support the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha election.When asked if BJP wants to increase its MLAs in South Goa, Rane said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in every state, somethings happen automatically and we don’t have to make an effort. But it happens in the name of Modi. It takes time to happen in Goa, but when it happens, it happens effectively.” BJP has appointed Rane to oversee two Lok Sabha constituencies, including South Goa and South Mumbai.
PANAJI: Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) Narayan Rane on Saturday said that with 12 MLAs in South Goa and the BJP government in the state, the party is confident of winning the South Goa seat for the Lok Sabha election. Rane also expressed confidence that that BJP will win both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa. “BJP will 100% win the South Goa seat,” Rane said. Till date, BJP has won the South Goa seat only on two occasions. Currently, the seat is represented by Congress MP Francisco Sardinha. Rane said that MGP will support the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha election. When asked if BJP wants to increase its MLAs in South Goa, Rane said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in every state, somethings happen automatically and we don’t have to make an effort. But it happens in the name of Modi. It takes time to happen in Goa, but when it happens, it happens effectively.”
The exodus of eight Congress MLAs -- Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Aleixo Sequeira, Rodolfo Fernandes, Rajesh Faldessai, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar and Delilah Lobo -- has left the party in tatters. In the current situation, analysts say, Congress will have to reinvent itself and even then, after the second major setback in just three years, there are no guarantees that it can rise to the top.Digambar KamatA legislator since 1994, he was one of the four BJP MLAs when the saffron party opened its account in the Goa assembly. In 2005, he engineered the collapse of the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government and returned to Congress. In 2007, he was picked as the chief minister. In February 2014, BJP linked him to the Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining case and Kamat was summoned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). In the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls, Kamat was the de facto CM candidate of Congress. Michael LoboA three-term MLA, Lobo is a political heavyweight in Bardez. He has been with BJP for over 15 years and was groomed by former chief minister Manohar Parrikar in Calangute. Lobo was the first BJP MLA to quit Pramod Sawant’s cabinet and then join Congress. Though he won the elections, the party did not do well and since then Lobo has been keen to return to the BJP fold. BJP minister Vishwajit Rane had called for an investigation into Lobo’s assets, accusing him of illegal conversion of land. Congress had made him opposition leader in March but within three months the party decided not to continue him in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt to split the party. Read AlsoEight of Cong’s 11 Goa MLAs break away, merge with BJPEight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking vows not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the Goa Congress Legislature Party into BJP on Wednesday, taking the saffron party’sAleixo SequeiraA veteran Congressman and a former minister, Sequeira also served as the deputy speaker from July 1999 to November 1999. He was first elected in December 1994 and has been elected for four terms, once unopposed. He was appointed as working president in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls. He is known to have had cordial relations with former CM Manohar Parrikar. Rodolfo FernandesHe is a first-time MLA and the son of former Congress legislator Victoria ‘Mummy’ Fernandes. He is a relatively new entrant in the Congress camp, joining the party just prior to the 2022 assembly elections. On denial of a party nomination in the past elections, he had contested as an independent. Rajesh FaldessaiA social activist, Faldessai is known to be close to chief minister Pramod Sawant. He is also a first-time MLA and had joined Congress just five months ahead of the assembly elections. He had a miningrelated business in the past. Read AlsoGoa: Cabinet reshuffle soon, Aleixo Sequeira to be made ministerThe Pramod Sawant 2.0 cabinet is expected to be reshuffled within just six months of its formation. After the merger of eight Congress MLAs with BJP on Wednesday, chief minister Pramod Sawant said, "There will be a cabinet reshuffle soon."Kedar NaikNaik is a long-time BJP karyakarta and is the former Reis Magos sarpanch. He joined Congress along with disgruntled BJP supporters in Saligao just a month before the elections after BJP inducted former GFP legislator Jayesh Salgaokar. Naik was earlier keen on contesting the elections on a BJP ticket. Naik won the election with the support of Michael Lobo. Sankalp AmonkarThough a first-time MLA, Amonkar is a veteran Congress worker who has been involved in the party’s organisational affairs for long. Son of a former MLA, Amonkar ran a bruising campaign against his bete noire, Milind Naik, in Mormugao in the run-up to the 2022 polls. Having started as a Youth Congress activist, Amonkar has served as the Congress vice-president in Goa and also held the post of deputy legislature party leader. Read AlsoTOI maps how the saffron hue spread over GoaIn the past three years, Congress has suffered its second bout of rebellion when 8 MLAs joined BJP on Wednesday.Delilah LoboA former Parra sarpanch, Delilah has grown under her husband, Michael Lobo’s shadow. She managed to wrest the Siolim constituency from BJP, allowing the Congress flag to flutter over the constituency. She is the first woman candidate and non-resident of Siolim to be elected from the constituency. Before she joined Congress along with Michael, she was the BJP mahila morcha vice-president.
PANAJI: The three Congress legislators who chose to remain with the party said that despite the pressure tactics and money offered by BJP, they decided to remain faithful to the mandate given to them by their constituencies. The three said they put ethics and their personal principles above the offers that BJP made. Behind the scenes there is a different story. From family pressure to intervention by priests, a lot transpired over the past few weeks. The three MLAs insisted that they chose to remain loyal to the party, but political analysts indicate that there were other considerations. "I am not a commodity to be purchased. I cannot be bought. My parents taught me ethics. The amount of pressure tactics that were used, we have resisted it," Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao said. Alemao had to slog to overcome the "outsider" tag while contesting from Cuncolim. The constituency has a sizeable Christian community, which has traditionally been loyal to Congress. Alemao's predecessor, Clafasio Dias, was trounced in February when he contested on a BJP ticket, the electorate making it clear that it was displeased with his move to join BJP along with nine other Congress MLAs in 2019. Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa faced a similar predicament. D'Costa pulled a surprise upset in February when he defeated then deputy chief minister Chandrakant Kavlekar. Kavlekar had led the "merger" of the 10 Congress MLAs in 2019 and despite being backed by the organisational heft of BJP, he was voted out. BJP made several attempts to convince D'Costa to change his colours, but the hotelier-turned-politician decided to remain firm. "I stand by my values and principles which were taught to me by my parents," said D'Costa. "My voters and Congress supporters elected me as the Quepem legislator and today I can look them in the eye confidently and say that I have been loyal. I am a principled man, a god-fearing man and I am satisfied that I stood by my principles." Both Alemao and D'Costa have age on their side and given that this is their first term, the two were wary about earning the ire of their voters, who are largely Christians. Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira also remained with Congress. His name featured in discussions prior to the monsoon assembly elections when indications first emerged that Congress MLAs were planning to switch sides. When asked about his name surfacing in the initial list of Congress legislators who were about to desert the party, Ferreira said it was a diversion tactic. "In the art of war, you always pretend that you are attacking one side, while you work on the other side," Ferreira said. According to sources, Ferreira's family was the first to balk at the suggestion that he was open to joining the saffron camp. Locals in Aldona state that several priests reached out to the former advocate general and convinced him that he would be committing hara kiri if he joined BJP.
PANAJI: Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking vows not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs “merged” the Goa Congress Legislature Party into BJP on Wednesday, taking the saffron party’s strength alone to 28 in the 40-member House. Former CM Digambar Kamat, who led the rebel MLAs along with opposition leader Michael Lobo, said they “spoke to God” before joining BJP and were advised to take an “appropriate decision”. “I am a person who believes in God. I went back to God. I told him that these are the circumstances. What should I do? God told me to take my decision. I am with you,” said Kamat, who returned to BJP after almost 17 years. The eight MLAs form two-thirds of the Congress legislative wing, which meets a provision in the anti-defection law that allows a split in such cases without the members needing to resign and contest elections. The defections take NDA’s majority of 25 (20 BJP MLAs, MGP 2, Independents 3) in the Goa assembly to 33. Congress is left with three MLAs and Goa Forward Party has one. There are two AAP MLAs and one from the Revolutionary Goans Party. The Congress MLAs’ move to join BJP has come at a time when Rahul Gandhi is leading a “Bharat Jodo” yatra. “We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pramod Sawant… Congress chhodo, BJP ko jodo (leave Congress, strengthen BJP),” Lobo, a former BJP minister who joined Congress on the eve of the assembly elections, said. Sawant said while Congress was busy with its “Bharat Jodo” yatra, a “Congress chhodo yatra” had begun in Goa. “Many Congress leaders from other states will soon join BJP in the interest of the country and to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hands,” Sawant said, adding that Congress MLAs have joined BJP unconditionally, seeking only the development of the state. The sudden turn of events took place after Lobo told Sawant on Tuesday night that in case a merger is taking place, it should be done by Wednesday as he was leaving for Kenya for 4-5 days to visit his business partner’s restaurant. Having burned his hands in July, Lobo was categorical that he and wife Delilah would be at the assembly only if six other MLAs were present. On Wednesday morning, while Lobo was on the way to the airport, Sawant called him and asked him to rush to the assembly to merge the Congress legislative wing with BJP. Lobo turned back and arrived at the assembly with his travel bags. Two months ago, as first reported by TOI, there was an attempt by most of these MLAs to join BJP, but the plan fizzled out after two of them backed out at the last minute. Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar was even stationed in the assembly the entire day on July 11 and an emissary had come from Delhi for the induction. Following this, Congress moved a disqualification petition against Kamat and Lobo, which is still pending. A letter was also submitted to the speaker withdrawing its earlier decision to make Lobo the opposition leader. In the 2022 assembly elections, BJP secured 20 seats. It is supported by two MGP legislators and three Independents. “We had pledged to win 22 seats in 2022, but before the end of 2022, BJP has 28 MLAs,” Sawant said. Goa has a history of defections. In 1970, Goa witnessed its first defection when five United Goans Party MLAs, who were in the opposition, joined MGP after it was reduced to a minority following seven MGP MLAs breaking away from the party. Congress has also suffered huge setbacks earlier, with groups of MLAs changing loyalties and bringing down governments in 1989 and 1999. The latest was in 2019, when 10 MLAs defected to BJP to give stability to the Pramod Sawant-led government. Political analysts said Wednesday’s development would further strengthen BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls but carried no implication for the seven-month-old Pramod Sawant government. Sources said the Congress MLAs appeared to be more interested in joining the saffron party to be part of the governing dispensation. On Wednesday morning, a few hours before the “merger”, the eight Congress MLAs gathered in the chamber of the opposition leader, Michael Lobo, who held a CLP meeting and resolved to merge with BJP. Later, they handed over the letter of merger to the legislature secretary as Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar was out of station. Following the merger, all eight MLAs officially joined BJP at its headquarters in Panaji in the presence of Sawant and BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade. Besides Kamat and Lobo, the other MLAs who joined are Aleixo Sequeira (Nuvem), Rudolf Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Michael’s wife Delilah Lobo (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao) and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). The three MLAs who remain with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. All eight who defected to BJP will be flown to Delhi to meet Modi and party chief J P Nadda. Watch Goa: Major blow for Congress as 8 MLAs join BJP in presence of CM Sawant
PANAJI: Eight months after they did a run of a temple, a chapel and a mosque taking a vow not to defect from Congress and even signing an affidavit pledging their loyalty to the party, eight of the 11 MLAs on Wednesday "merged" the Congress legislative wing into BJP taking the saffron party's strength to 28 in the 40-member House. Former CM Digambar Kamat, who led the rebel MLAs along with opposition leader Michael Lobo, said they "spoke to god" before joining BJP and were advised to take "appropriate decision". "I am a person who believes in God. I went back to God. I told him that these are the circumstances. What should I do? God told me to take my decision. I am with you," said Kamat, who returned to BJP after almost 17 years. The eight MLAs form two-thirds of the Congress legislative wing-a provision in the anti-defection law to facilitate a split without the members needing to resign and contest the polls. The move by Congress MLAs to join BJP has come at a time when Rahul Gandhi is leading a Bharat jodo rally. "We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pramod Sawant...Congress chhodo, BJP ko jodo (leave Congress, strengthen BJP)," Lobo, a former BJP minister who joined Congress on the eve of the assembly elections, said. Sawant said while Congress is busy with Bharat jodo yatra, Congress chhodo yatra has begun in Goa. "Many Congress leaders from other states will soon join BJP in the interest of the country and to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands," Sawant said, adding that Congress MLAs have joined BJP unconditionally and only want development of the state. Two months ago, as first reported by TOI, there was an attempt by most of these MLAs to join BJP, but the plan fizzled out after two among them backed out at the last minute. Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar was even stationed in the assembly the entire day on July 11 and an emissary had come from Delhi for the induction. Following this, Congress moved a disqualification petition against Kamat and Lobo, which is still pending. A letter was also submitted to the speaker withdrawing its earlier decision to make Lobo the opposition leader. In the 2022 assembly, BJP secured 20 seats and is supported by two MGP legislators and three independents. “We had pledged to win 22 seats in 2022, but before the end of 2022, BJP has 28 MLAs,” Sawant said. Goa has a history of defections. In 1970, Goa witnessed its first defection when five United Goans Party MLAs, who were in the opposition, joined MGP after it was reduced to a minority following seven MGP MLAs breaking away from the party. Congress has also suffered huge setbacks earlier with groups of MLAs changing loyalties and bringing down governments in 1989 and 1999. The latest was in 2019, when 10 MLAs defected to BJP to give stability to the Pramod Sawant-led government. Political analysts said Wednesday’s development would further strengthen BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls but has no implication on the six-month-old Pramod Sawant government. Sources said more than the local unit of BJP, the Congress MLAs appeared to be more interested in joining the saffron party to be part of the ruling dispensation. On Wednesday morning, a few hours before the “merger”, the eight Congress MLAs gathered in the chamber of the opposition leader, Michael Lobo, who held the CLP meeting and resolved to merge with BJP. Later, they handed over the letter of merger to legislature (secretary) as speaker Ramesh Tawadkar was out of station. Following the merger, all eight MLAs officially joined BJP at its headquarters in Panaji in presence Sawant and BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanavade. Besides, Kamat and Lobo, the other MLAs who joined are Aleixo Sequeira (Nuvem), Rodolfo Fernandes (Santa Cruz), Michael’s wife Delilah Lobo (Siolim), Sankalp Amonkar (Mormugao), Kedar Naik (Saligao) and Rajesh Faldessai (Cumbarjua). The three MLAs who remained with Congress are Quepem MLA Altone D Costa, Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira. All newly joined MLAs will be flown to Delhi to meet Modi and BJP national president J P Nadda.
PANAJI: AAP has termed the joining of Congress leaders with the BJP "a very unholy alliance". "The eight legislators who joined the BJP in pursuit of wealth and power betrayed not only Gods but Goans as well," AAP state president Adv Amit Palekar said. He added that the BJP wants an "opposition-free India" and has been trying any and every method to eliminate opposition. "There have been attempts to bribe AAP leaders in Delhi and Punjab, but BJP has failed miserably," Palekar stated, claiming that AAP is the sole alternative to strongly challenge the BJP. AAP Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas claimed that the Congress was always on sale and blasted the BJP. Viegas further said, “This time as well, these leaders will fail to provide Goans with basic amenities. The time has come for Goans to realize the opportunistic politics of such politicians”.
