After Rane, Goa Congress Leader Savio Rodrigues Leaves Party

Rane had resigned from the Congress and the assembly shortly after he went missing during the trust vote.

Vishwajit Rane and Savio Rodrigues (R). (Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Congress leader in Goa, Savio Rodrigues, resigned from the party on 17 March, a day after MLA Vishwajit Rane quit the party.

Rane resigned from the Congress shortly after he went missing during a trust vote in the house which the BJP coalition won. Savio was the vice president of Goa Congress’ minority cell.

Also Read: Cong MLA Resigns From Party in Goa, Refuses to Comment on Rahul

Facing flak for his handling of the Goa polls, AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh on Friday said his proposal for a pre-poll alliance with Goa Forward was "sabotaged" by his own party leaders.

He said had the alliance with Goa Forward gone through, the Congress would have got majority in the state and that it was unfair to now make him a "villain".

“As a strategy I had proposed a secular alliance with regional party headed by Babush Monserratte and Goa Forward headed by Vijai Sardesai,” Singh said in a series of tweets.

The BJP, which won 13 seats, forged alliances with smaller parties like the Goa Forward, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and independents to form government in the state.

The Manohar Parrikar government on Thursday proved its majority on the floor of the Goa Assembly by winning the trust vote with the support of 22 legislators in the 40-member House.

Also Read: Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane Quits Party After BJP Wins Floor Test

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly states that Savio Rodrigues was a Congress MLA. The error is regretted.