Sonia Gandhi rushes Mukul Wasnik to Goa amid defections in Congress; Michael Lobo sacked as leader in assembly

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi (File image: PTI)

The Congress party in Goa is faced with rebellion amid indications that at least six of its 11 MLAs are likely to cross over to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), five months after assembly polls took place in the coastal state.

The party's interim president Sonia Gandhi has sent its senior leader Mukul Wasnik to Goa to oversee the latest political developments after at least five legislators in the state have gone "incommunicado".

The Congress has accused two of these legislators – Michael Lobo and former chief minister Digambar Kamat – of "conspiring" and "hobnobbing'' with the ruling BJP to engineer a split in the grand old party's legislative wing. Lobo has been dismissed as the Leader of the Opposition.

READ | Goa’s seasonal elixir: After Urrak and Feni, there's Neero

For now, however, the breakaway group does not have the required eight members to prevent action under the anti-defection law. The rebel group would need at least eight MLAs (three-fourths of 11) if it wants to split the party without attracting disqualification under the anti-defection law.

"Congress President has asked Shri Mukul Wasnik, MP to rush to Goa to oversee latest political developments in the state," AICC general secretary, organization, K C Venugopal, said in a tweet late on July 10.

Congress party’s Goa  in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao announced in New Delhi that Lobo has been removed from the post of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, which has 40 members. He also said that legislators have gone incommunicado.

"A conspiracy was hatched by some of our own leaders with the BJP to see that the Congress party in Goa is weakened and to engineer defections. This conspiracy was led by two of our own leaders Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat," he said

Hon'ble Congress President has asked Shri @MukulWasnik, MP to rush to Goa to oversee latest political developments in the state.

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 10, 2022

Former Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar alleged that party MLAs were offered Rs 40 crore to join the BJP. He said calls are being made to Congress legislators by industrialists and the coal mafia. However, the BJP has dismissed the allegations, with its state president Sadanand Tanavade accusing the Congress of making "baseless” allegations.

Sources said Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Digambar Kamat, Kedar Naik, and Rajesh Faldessai were at the chief minister's house on Sunday. Digambar Kamat, Congress party's chief ministerial nominee in the elections held earlier this year, had skipped a meeting of MLAs on Saturday.

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

The Congress had last seen a split in 2019 when most of its MLAs switched to the BJP, leaving the party with only four legislators in its ranks. Ahead of recent Goa assembly elections, the party made all its MLAs take a loyalty pledge not to switch sides.

(With agency inputs)