Panaji: As many as eight Congress MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa on Wednesday.
“Today, the Congress Legislature Party met and decided to merge the party with the BJP. A resolution was passed and the copy was submitted to the Assembly Secretary. Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has been intimated,” former Opposition leader Michael Lobo told reporters.
“We have joined the BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant,” Lobo added.
Alton D’Costa, Goa Congress Working President Yuri Alemao and advocate Carlos Ferreira are not a part of the group.
In the 40-member assembly, the strength of Congress has been reduced to 3 MLAs.
The split is a major setback to the Congress which had emerged as the main opposition party after assembly elections held in February this year.
