Two Congress Goa leaders leave for Delhi amidst speculation of them joining BJP

In their bid to dethrone the present political scenario in Goa, the Congress party has been hit with a big jolt as two of its MLAs in the state have flown to Delhi, where they are expected to jump the ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar, two of the parties senior leaders in the state, flew to the National Capital on Monday night, fueling speculation that they could join their party rivals.

Speaking on the recent events, a senior BJP leader told PTI, "Both the Congress MLAs will be resigning from Congress party on Tuesday and joining the BJP."

Both the MLAs have kept the issue very close to their chest, and revealed absolutely nothing about their visit to Delhi. When asked, Sopte told reporters that 'he is going on an official trip', while Shirodkar responded by saying that 'You will come to know, if I do it'.

The Congress party though, is not concerned by the speculation, and has made it clear that the two leaders will stay. "I spoke to both of them Monday evening and they have refused that they are resigning," AICC Secretary A Chellakumar said.

Much of this comes on the back of a power tussle in the state of Goa between Congress and BJP. The latter, which is in power, has been under pressure by the opposition to dissolve the government, owing to the health issues of CM Manohar Parrikar, who has underwent operation on more than two occasions in his tenure.

Congress, which has been putting every bit of its effort to form government in the state, had earlier last month submitted a letter ot the Governor of the state staking claim to form the government. But the BJP has refused to buckle under pressure, and on a number of occasions has reiterated that the former Defence minister will continue on his position.

In the coming days, the core committee of BJP will hold a meeting on Monday in Goa following the return of Manohar Parrikar after his treatment. The committee will discuss the political situation in Goa and the consequent steps which need to be taken. The members in the core team include CM Manohar Parrikar, Union Minister Shripad Naik, Lok Sabha MP Narendra Sawaikar and BJP party chief Vinay Tendulkar.

(With inputs from PTI)