New Delhi: Three years after the Congress unit in Goa was rocked by the defection of 10 of 15 party MLAs to the BJP on 10 July, the party seems to be reliving the nightmare with seven of 11 present Congress MLAs in the state said to be in touch with the BJP. The MLAs may cross over to the BJP before Monday’s assembly session.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, in-charge All India Congress Committee of Goa, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry confirmed to the ThePrint that at least five party MLAs are in touch with the BJP and alleged that Michael Lobo — former opposition leader in the Goa assembly — and MLA Digambar Kamat had hatched the conspiracy, in coordination with the BJP.
The allegation came after the Congress removed Lobo as opposition leader, in a surprise move Sunday. Lobo had defected to the Congress from the BJP ahead of this year’s assembly election, after the other party had denied a ticket to his wife, Sancha Delilah Lobo.
The party also gathered its MLAs at a hotel in Margao Sunday, amidst rumours of eight MLAs defecting to the BJP before the start of the monsoon session of the assembly Monday.
Addressing a press conference Sunday evening, Gundu Rao alleged that the “BJP which was trying to split the party by getting two-thirds of Congress MLAs to defect, which requires them to get eight more MLAs. But six of our MLAs stood firm, despite the BJP offering them huge sums of money to cross over.”
Gundu Rao added: “A new party leader will be elected, Michel lobo was conspiring to defect to the BJP for power and money.”
Talking about Kamat, MLA and a former chief minister, Gundu Rao said he was “facing many cases of corruption, for which investigating agencies are chasing him. But party will go to people for their betrayal. It is not clear how many of them will go (to the BJP), but six are with us.”
Meanwhile, in another sudden development Sunday, Goa legislative assembly secretary, Namrata Ulman, withdrew notification for the election of the deputy speaker, which was scheduled to be held on 12 July.
While some in the BJP claimed “it was canceled after sudden developments, which called for fresh strategy for the election of the deputy speaker”, other sources in the party said the BJP, “which had decided to field Mapusa MLA (Joshua D’Souza) for the post of deputy speaker, postponed the election keeping in mind possible defection of Congress MLAs which might require fresh negotiations for the post”.
Meanwhile, talking about the rumours of possible defection by Congress MLAs, BJP state president Sadanand Tanavade said, “We are not behind Congress’ internal trouble, but if anyone wants to join the BJP, we will welcome them. Party’s doors are open for all who want to work for the Prime Minister ideology.”
The BJP had emerged as the single largest party in Goa — with 20 MLAs in the 40-member house — after this year’s assembly elections, while the Congress won only 11 seats.
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Weekend woes for Congress
On Saturday, Gundu Rao met all 11 Congress MLAs to discuss assembly floor coordination for the monsoon session, and asserted that the party was intact and there was no chance of MLAs defecting. Rumours of defection started circulating Friday.
However, a day later, only three MLAs turned up for a meeting of MLAs. The number went up by the evening, but Lobo and Kamat remained absent.
Amidst the drama unfolding in the Congress, Goa assembly speaker, Ramesh Tawadkar, was seen in his office all day, said sources in the speaker’s office. While his office claimed he was preparing for the two-week monsoon session of the assembly, it was speculated that he was in office to handle defection by Congress MLAs.
Sunday’s trouble for the Congress comes exactly three years after 10 of its then 15 MLAs in the state had defected to the BJP on 10 July, 2019.
The defection by two-thirds of its MLAs, led by then leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, had given the Congress a major jolt. A petition seeking the disqualification of these MLAs was dismissed by the Bombay High Court in February this year.
In the run-up to this year’s assembly elections, the party had taken its 37 candidates to temples, churches and mosques for an oath to not leave the party after winning the election. It had also made them sign affidavits for the same.
A source in Goa BJP told ThePrint that the party was planning “to make inroads in south Goa in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, from where it had lost in the last parliamentary elections in 2019. The Congress has five MLAs in south Goa, but it seems after hectic effort by the party, a few MLAs have not come out in open (about defecting). Still, we are hopeful that the required number will be arranged to escape the anti-defection law.”
Under the anti-defection law, any MLA defecting to another party after winning election on a certain party ticket, stands to lose their legislative assembly membership. However, if two-thirds of the MLAs leave a party, the group is treated as a breakaway faction and doesn’t lose their assembly membership.
Sources in Goa BJP told ThePrint that if Kamat is not able to get eight Congress MLAs to defect — two-thirds of its 11 MLAs — others who defect may have to resign from the assembly and get re-elected.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the media late Sunday evening that many MLAs had come to meet him for work related to their constituencies, but he had no idea of any split in the Congress.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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