Congress caught off guard in Goa as 10 of 15 MLAs merge with BJP
Panaji, July 10: Winds of political instability in neighbouring Karnataka reached Goa Wednesday, with two- thirds (10 out of 15) of Congress MLAs breaking away to merge with the ruling BJP in the coastal state.
The group, led by Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, met Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar in the evening and gave him a letter, informing him about their breaking away from the party.
The MLAs include Atanasio Monserratte, Jeniffer Monserratte, Francis Silveira, Philip Nery Rodrigues, Cleaofacio Dias, Wilfred DSa, Nilkant Halarnkar and Isidor Fernandes.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who was present when the group arrived at the Assembly complex, said the 10 MLAs have merged with the BJP.
With the 10 MLAs changing sides, the strength of Congress in the House would be reduced to five.
BJP is the single largest party with 17,Goa Forward Party and Independents have three each, while one MLA each is from NCP and MGP.
When asked, Kavlekar refused to give reason behind their move, but said that they will make a statement later in the evening.
Sawant was sworn in as CM in March this year, after the death of then CM Manohar Parrikar
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Dakshina Kannada: Two girls drown while bathing near Kolyadakatta dam in Kadaba
Mangaluru: Two girl students drowned while bathing near the Kolyadakatta dam area of the Gundya river on Friday evening here in the Kadaba Taluk of the district.
The deceased have been identified as Arpita (15) and Sunita (21), both residents of Vimalagiri in Kutrupadi village.
According to reports, five girl students had visited the river along with their friends as it was a holiday. While bathing in the river, the two students reportedly entered a deeper portion of the water without realising the depth and began drowning.
Those accompanying them tried to rescue the duo, but were unsuccessful, leading to the tragedy.
After receiving information about the incident, Kadaba Police Station personnel visited the spot and conducted an inspection. The bodies were later recovered with the help of local residents.
