Goa Election 2022: Another setback to Congress as MLA Aleixo Lourenco quits

Notably, Congress released its initial list of eight candidates for the next state elections last week, and Lourenco's name was on it.

Team Newsable

Goa, First Published Dec 20, 2021, 5:24 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 20, 2021, 5:24 PM IST

In another setback for the Congress ahead of the Goa Assembly elections, the party's state working president, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly on Monday, lowering the party's presence in the 40-member House to two. Two other Congress politicians resigned as MLAs in the state, where elections are scheduled for early next year.

Notably, Congress released its initial list of eight candidates for the next state elections last week, and Lourenco's name was on it. On Monday afternoon, Lourenco, who represented the Curtorim Assembly sector in south Goa, submitted his resignation to the Assembly Speaker's office. According to accounts, he eventually resigned from Congress as well. Lourenco, the functioning president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, did not respond to requests for comment.

According to insiders, he may soon join Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress Party (TMC). Former Goa Chief Minister Ravi Naik resigned as a Congress MLA earlier this month. Ex-CM Luizinho Faleiro left the Congress a few months ago and joined the TMC, which has chosen to run in the Goa Assembly elections.

Also Read | Goa Election 2022: Congress announces first list of eight candidates

The resignations followed internal Congress debates about the nature of the Congress's arrangement with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) for the Assembly elections. Meanwhile, P Chidambaram, AICC Goa election in-charge, remarked that the GFP has just offered assistance to Congress and has refused to term the coalition an alliance at this time.

The Congress won 17 seats in the Goa Assembly elections in 2017 and emerged as the single largest party. However, the BJP, which had won 13 seats, rapidly formed a coalition with several regional parties and independents to create the state government.

Also Read | Goa Election 2022 Exclusive: 'Congress cheated NCP; only 'Didi' can fight the BJP'

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