Congress on the verge of breakdown in Goa: Speculation of 9 MLAs including former CM Digambar Kamat joining BJP, Congress told rumours

After Maharashtra, there is turmoil in Goa’s politics. Although the government is not falling here, there is speculation of veteran leaders of the opposition Congress going to the BJP. According to sources, nine MLAs, including former Chief Minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat, may leave the party and join the BJP. However, Congress has called it a rumour.

Congress has 11 MLAs in Goa. According to sources, 9 MLAs can announce to join BJP anytime. Of these, 1 or 2 can also be made ministers in the Pramod Sawant government. On Saturday, these MLAs had a meeting at a hotel in Goa. The place has been kept secret.

Congress said, all MLAs are united
Congress has denied these reports. Senior Goa Congress leader Girish Chodankar confirmed to Bhaskar that not one of our MLAs is going to join BJP. These are just rumours. The MLAs who had gathered at the hotel on Saturday were busy discussing the session starting from Monday.

In 2019 too many MLAs had left Congress
Earlier in 2019 also 10 out of 15 Congress MLAs had joined BJP. Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar was also involved in this. Goa CM Pramod Sawant had all the rebel Congress MLAs included in the BJP. Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Sankalp Amonkar, Kedar Nayak and Rajesh Faldesai are among the MLAs who can break from Congress.

BJP is away from 1 seat for majority
There are 40 seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly. Congress has 11 and BJP has 20 MLAs. Apart from this, Maharashtra Gomantak Party has 2 MLAs, 3 Independents. According to information received from sources, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is going to Goa.

No party got a majority in the state in the 2022 Goa assembly elections. BJP got 20 seats out of the total 40 in the state, while the majority figure is 21. In this way BJP was just one step away from full majority in Goa. However, BJP leaders have formed the government in the state with the help of independents.

Both the deputy CMs had lost the election.
In the last election, both the deputy CMs of Goa lost the election to the Congress candidate. Deputy CM Manohar Ajgaonkar was defeated by Leader of Opposition and Congress candidate Digambar Kamat by nearly 6,000 votes from the Margao assembly seat.

Second Deputy CM Chandrakant Kavlekar lost from Quepem seat to Congress candidate Alton D’Costa. He had won from here in 2017 on a Congress ticket. After this he joined BJP along with 9 Congress MLAs and was given the post of Deputy Chief Minister. Costa, who contested from this seat for the first time, defeated Kavlekar by a margin of over 3,000 votes.