Panaji: Ahead of the Goa Assembly poll, BJP suffered a setback on Monday with two MLA, State Minister Michael Lobo and Legislator from Mayem, Pravin Zantye, resigned from their membership at home.
Both of them said they were ruled out in BJP and the two vowed by the former Union Minister of Union Manohar Parragar, by saying that they would not stop there.
Lobo, which is the Minister of Science and Technology in the Pramod Sawant government, told TII that he would make decisions about whether to join Congress or contest as independent in the next two days.
Zantye said he looked at MGP “as the future where they would take care of the state and local”.
He tends to join MGP on Tuesday.
Lobo said he stopped when BJP didn’t want Karakakartas to like it.
“If they don’t want you, you yourself have to move and don’t wait for them to drive you,” he said, adding that he would always be friends with Sawant.
Head of State BJP Sadanand Shet Tanavade said they expected out lobo from the party for the past year.
“The exit will not make a difference for BJP.” Sawant said he tried to contact Lobo on Sunday after it was clear that he would stop BJP on Monday.
Lobo denied Tanavade’s allegations that he stopped from BJP because of the refusal of the ticket to his wife from the Siolim seat.
“I was made to understand that I had no place at the party.” He said people from his constituency, Calangute, would respect his decision and give him the opportunity to serve them again.
The source said that the lobo should be appointed in the congress on Monday night itself, but it could not happen after the Saligao Congress Block Committee, Siolim and Calangute wrote strong letters to the party against induction into the party.
Several state leaders have strongly opposed to lobo into the congress since the news about the unavoidable out of BJP did a round of a few days ago.
Lobo is the third MLA from the Christian community to resign as MLA.
With kelip-twin out of the lobo and zantye, the power of BJP in the 40 members of the Goa legislature has now dropped to 23.