'Rumours', say Goa Congress leaders, deny party MLAs joining BJP ahead of Assembly session

Panaji: There are reports that some of the MLAs of Goa Congress may switch to BJP. The grand old party has 11 lawmakers in the state. However, party leaders called it "totally a rumour".

Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar said such rumours were being spread by the ruling BJP, news agency PTI reported.

Goa Congress desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao also held a meeting on Saturday and said all 11 party MLAs were present at a hotel in Panaji for the meeting.

Goa Congress leader Michael Lobo on also refuted the rumours and on Sunday said that it has been "spread deliberately" ahead of the Assembly session. "These are all rumours. There's nothing as such. Assembly (session) is starting and one rumour has to be spread by somebody or the other. I've not been told, if I'm told I'll tell you first," he added.

A report by NDTV mentioned sources saying that three Congress MLAs, including Digambar Kamat, who was the party's chief ministerial nominee for the assembly polls held earlier this year, skipped the party's meeting convened ahead of the state assembly session.

Congress MLAs Aleixo Sequeira told news agency ANI, "Seven MLAs are there (at the meeting). I was not called by high command, only here for a courtesy meeting. Rumours (about MLAs leaving for BJP) are all over, what is to be done. I can vouch for myself, can't say for anyone else."

On Saturday, Goa Congress president Amit Patkar said, "Eight of our 11 MLAs are new. There was a meeting today on floor management (in the House). Our senior MLAs had had discussions with the new MLAs, and I am hopeful that from Monday you will see the Congress raising public issues (in the House) against this government, which has failed.”

Speculation that some Congress lawmakers are set to join BJP has been doing the rounds since BJP national general secretary and the party's state in-charge, CT Ravi, had in May said that BJP, which has 20 MLAs and formed the government getting the support of five others, will have 30 MLAs by the end of the year.

It can be recalled that in 2019, 10 of 15 Congress MLAs had 'merged' the legislature party with BJP and become BJP MLAs.

The 40-member Goa assembly currently has 25 MLAs from the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 11 legislators from the opposition Congress.

With inputs from agencies

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