Goa
Goa assembly polls: Ahead of Priyanka Gandhi's visit, more Congress leaders leave party
Panaji/IBNS: Ahead of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's visit to Goa several leaders quit the party, leaving it in the lurch as Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and Arvind Kejriwal's AAP battle to replace it as the de facto opposition party the state, media reports said.
Gupesh Naik, a former panchayat leader, who was one of the first leaders to desert Congress, slammed the party for being a "non-starter" and said it "does not seem interested (in the election)", according to an NDTV report.
Senior leader Moreno Rebelo also resigned from Congress citing discontent with the Congress' decision that Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco would defend his seat.
"Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco never participated in any party activities... only abused party leaders... worked against the (party)... but is declared as a candidate," Rebelo said in his resignation letter.
Another leader, Ravi Naik, quit and re-joined the BJP after 19 years while Luizinho Faleiro joined Trinamool Congress.
With the mass exit, Congress has now only three MLAs and two of its former chief ministers have also left the party.
There are also question marks over allowance with Goa Forward Party - an influential former BJP ally also being wooed by the Trinamool.
While Trinamool has taken an aggressive stance to seize power in Goa, the disgruntled Congress leaders have accused it of lacking the ambition to regain power.
It has failed to create meaningful regional links while Trinamool made swift moves to seize opportunity after a fallout between the BJP and Goa Forward Party.
Meanwhile, TMC has sealed ties with another former BJP ally - the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) - which has three MLAs.
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