Earlier in July, there were rumours that around six Congress MLAs, including names like Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, will join the BJP.
Panaji: Two months after the Congress felt it has successfully thwarted an attempt of some of its Goa MLAs to defect, eight of its 11 legislators joined the BJP, speculations about which had sparked off early on Wednesday morning after the MLAs met the Assembly Speaker and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The defection news comes amid the Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi. The yatra has been criticised by the BJP and Congress has been asked to first concentrate on a yatra to unite the party.
The meeting with the Speaker was unusual as the Assembly is not in session. Meanwhile, sources said since the Congress MLAs joined as a group, which is two-thirds of the party strength, they can avoid being disqualified under the anti-defection law.
Earlier in July, there were rumours that around six Congress MLAs, including names like Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo, will join the BJP. However, the Congress asked the Speaker to disqualify Kamat and Lobo under the anti-defection law.
The Congress had somehow managed to keep at least seven MLAs in its fold. A key party meeting was held and four leaders did not show up — Lobo, Kamar, Kedar Nai and Lobo’s wife Delilah Lobo. It is important to note that Michael Lobo had joined Congress after quitting BJP. He was removed as the Leader of Opposition by the Congress.
In 2019, two-thirds of Congress’s Assembly strength, which is 10 of the 15 MLAs, jumped to BJP which led the party to make the leaders take a loyalty vow.
