Half of Goa MLAs resigned in last 5 years
Panaji(PTI): Twenty MLAs in the 40-member Goa House resigned and switched sides during the last five years of the outgoing Assembly.
Two prominent MLAs - Manohar Parrikar and Francis D'Souza - died during the period.
Parrikar was serving as the chief minister when he died in 2019, following which BJP's Pramod Sawant took over the top post in the coastal state.
Elections for the new Assembly were held on February 14 this year and the results will be declared on Thursday.
After the Assembly polls in 2017, the BJP formed government with the support of some regional outfits and independents.
Shortly after the polls, Vishwajit Rane was the first legislator to resign. He quit the Congress and joined the BJP. He later successfully contested the by-election from his traditional Valpoi Assembly constituency.
In 2018, two more MLAs Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) and Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda) resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP.
Later, Parrikar and Francis D'Souza died in 2019 and the Assembly constituencies of the two leaders fell vacant.
The by-elections were subsequently held for four constituencies Shiroda, Mandrem, Panaji and Mapusa. While the Congress won in Panaji, BJP candidates emerged victorious in the three other seats.
In July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs switched over en-mass to the BJP.
During the fag end of the outgoing Assembly, Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro resigned to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC), while Jayesh Salgaonkar (Goa Forward Party), Rohan Khaunte (Independent), Govind Gaude (Independent), Ravi Naik (Congress) quit and joined the BJP.
Besides, BJP MLAs Michael Lobo, Deepak Pauskar, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Alina Saldanha, Pravin Zantye, Wilfred D'Sa, Isidore Fernandes and Carlose Almeida also resigned.
Saldanha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Lobo and Almeida entered the Congress, while Zantye joined the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
This time, Pauskar, Fernandes and D'Sa contested as independents and Rodrigues on the NCP's ticket.
Goa Forward Party MLA Vinod Palyekar also resigned to contest as an independent, while Congress's Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco joined the TMC, which he later quit to contest as an independent candidate.
Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar also resigned to join the Congress.
After the 2017 Assembly polls, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats. But, it failed to form government and over the last five years, its strength in the 40-member House reduced to two.
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TN govt reaffirms 21-yr age limit for liquor sales
Chennai (PTI): Seeking to curb rising alcohol consumption among minors in the state, the Tamil Nadu government has reinforced the legal age requirement of 21 for all liquor purchases and consumption.
The government has also ordered the closure of 717 liquor outlets across the state and warned of strict action against those who violate the new directives.
The state-owned Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the agency which holds a monopoly on sales of liquor, will be shutting 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 outlets near bus stations.
A senior TASMAC official on Thursday said that the staff at liquor shops have been instructed to check identity proof, including Aadhaar card, for all customers whose age is in question.
The official also said that the state government is considering a reduction in operational hours.
Currently, the liquor shops across the state operate from 12 noon to 10 pm.
"They are weighing a proposal to move the closing time to 8 pm," he added.
At present, the TASMAC operates a total of 4,765 liquor shops across the state. After the closure of 717 shops, it would come down to 4,048 outlets.
In 2025, the revenue from liquor sales stood at Rs 48,344 crore, which is the second highest after the registration department.
