At least 24 MLAs in Goa, which is 60 per cent of the total strength of the 40-member state assembly, have switched sides in the last five years, a report by an organization said. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) in its report said that with this Goa has set a unique record, which is ‘unique’ in the history of Indian democracy. Assembly elections in Goa will be held on February 14.
In the five-year tenure of the current Assembly (2017-2022), 24 MLAs have changed their parties, which is 60 per cent of the total strength of the House. This has not happened anywhere else in India. A clear reflection of the complete disregard for the mandate of the electorate. A rigid approach to ethics and discipline stems from uncontrolled greed at worst, the report said. It said the list of 24 MLAs did not include the names of Vishwajit Rane, Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, who had resigned as Congress MLAs in 2017 and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before contesting on their tickets. had joined.
Ten Congress MLAs had joined the BJP in 2019. These included the then Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar (Quepem constituency). Other Congress MLAs who joined BJP are Jennifer Monserrate (Taligao), Francisco Silveria (Saint Andre), Philippe Neri Rodrigues (Velim), Wilfred Nazareth Menino d’Asa (Nuvem), Clafcio Dias (Cuncolim), Antonio Carano Fernandes (St Cruz), Neelkanth Halarankar (Tivim), Isidore Fernandes (Canacona), Atanasio Monserrate (who won the Panaji by-election in 2019 after Manohar Parrikar’s death). Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLAs Deepak Pauskar (Sanvordem) and Manohar Ajgaonkar (Pernem) also joined the BJP during the same period.
Jayesh Salgaonkar of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) from Saligaon had also joined the BJP. Recently, former Chief Minister of Goa, Congress MLA from Ponda, Ravi Naik joined the ruling saffron party. Another former CM and Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro (Navelim) had joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is currently trying its electoral fortunes in Goa in the February 14 assembly elections.
Former CM Churchill Alemao, who won on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket in 2017, also switched to TMC recently. Congress MLA from Curtorim, Alexo Reginaldo Lourenco, also joined the Mamata Banerjee-led party. However, Lourenco also resigned from the TMC and wanted to return to the Congress, but was not taken. He has now decided to contest the upcoming elections as an independent.
Another MLA, Wilfred Deesa, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2019, has resigned from the ruling party and is contesting as an independent. Deepak Pauskar has also left BJP. Independent MLAs Rohan Khunte (Porvorim) and Govind Goude (Priol) have joined the BJP, while another independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar has joined the Congress. The BJP MLAs who left the party are – Praveen Zante (Ma’am), who has now joined the MGP, Michael Lobo (Calangute), who has joined the Congress, Jose Luis Carlos Almeida (Vasco da Gama) who has joined the Congress. While Alina Saldanha (Kortalim) has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). After the defection and resignation of MLAs, the current strength of the Congress in the House is two, while that of the BJP is 27. The electoral battle for Goa has turned multi-cornered with the entry of TMC and aggressive campaigning by Arvind Kejriwal. -You led. Till now, there was an electoral alliance between the regional MGP and TMC and the Congress and GFP.
In the 2017 elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party in Goa, winning 17 seats in the 40-member House, but could not come to power, as the BJP won 13, forming alliances with some independents and regional parties. Make a government
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