Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met BJP president Amit Shah and other senior leaders on Thursday, 11 July, over the likely reshuffle of his Cabinet as 10 Congress MLAs formally took the saffron party's membership.
Political action suddenly shifted from Karnataka to Goa late on Wednesday, 10 July, as 10 out of the 15 Congress MLAs (two-thirds) broke away from the party to merge with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
With this development, the Congress, which had emerged as single-largest party after 2017 Assembly polls in the coastal state, is now reduced to five legislators.
Sawant arrived in the national capital with these 10 MLAs and met Shah and BJP working president JP Nadda.
There was no official word over what transpired in his meeting with the top party brass but sources told PTI a Cabinet reshuffle in Goa is likely with the induction of the 10 MLAs.
The group, led by Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, met Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar on Wednesday evening and gave him a letter, informing him of their defection to the ruling party.
The MLAs include Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserratte, Jennifer Monserrate, Francis Silveira, Filipe Nery Rodrigues, Clafasio Dias, Wilfred D’sa, Nilkanth Halarnkar, Isidor Fernandes and Chandrakant Kavlekar.
‘Cong Couldn’t Fulfil the Promises They Made’
Speaking about the merger, Kavlekar said, “Ten of us entered the BJP, just because the CM is doing good work. I was the Leader of Opposition, despite that development work in our constituency could not be done. Despite being the single largest party, we could not form the government.”
Kavlekar further alleged that the Congress couldn’t fulfil the promises they had made. “There were several opportunities to form the government, but due to lack of unity among some senior leaders, it could never be done. So we did this,” he added.
‘Murder of Democracy’: Congress
With the Congress accusing the BJP of "murder of democracy" over its MLAs' switchover, the Goa chief minister asserted that they have joined his party "willingly" and "unconditionally". They want to push development work in the state, he said.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar released a statement, saying that the BJP has exposed its 'intense insecurity’ with the coalition partner and within its camp by inducting 10 Congress MLAs:
Merger May Affect Coalition with GFP
Meanwhile, the 10 MLAs’ defection to BJP in Goa triggered speculation that CM Sawant may drop some coalition members from his cabinet.
However, Goa Forward Party (GFP) president and Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said his party was not related to the development and he has not been told about the implications of the Congress MLAs' move on his party.
"One party has split and another party has accepted them. My party is not related to the development," Sardesai told PTI. "We are part of the NDA and I have not been told about any implication of this development on my party," he added.
Apart from the BJP and the Congress, the Goa Assembly has three MLAs from the GFP, one each from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and NCP, and three Independents.
The GFP had extended support to the Manohar Parrikar-led government in the year 2017 and then the Pramod Sawant-led government in 2019.
The three GFP legislators are members of the Sawant-led cabinet.
The developments have come amid a crisis unfolding in Karnataka, where the mass resignation of Congress and JD(S) MLAs have pushed the coalition government at the edge.
(With inputs from PTI)
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