New Delhi. The troubles of the Congress seem to be increasing even before the assembly elections of five states to be held next year. Especially good news is not coming out for the party in Goa. Another strong leader of Congress has given a big blow to the party. Former Chief Minister Ravi Naik on Tuesday resigned from the state assembly. The departure of Ravi Naik is no less than a big setback for the Congress. Naik was counted among the old and grassroots leaders of the party. His departure before the upcoming elections can increase the troubles of the Congress.
Speculations of Ram Naik joining the Bharatiya Janata Party have also intensified in the political circles. It is believed that soon he may join BJP.
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Before the Goa elections, another bad news has come out for the Congress. Party MLA and former Chief Minister Ravi Naik tendered his resignation from the state assembly. Although Naik has not made an official announcement yet.
In October this year, former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro resigned as a Congress MLA and later joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
After this, this is the second major setback for the Congress. However, on seeing many Congress leaders have distanced themselves from the party.
Congress 3 MLA left in Goa Assembly
The stature of the Congress in the Goa Legislative Assembly is continuously decreasing. After the resignation of Ravi Naik, now only 3 MLAs of Congress are left in the 40-member assembly.
Naik’s two sons are already in BJP
Both the sons of Ravi Naik are already with the Bharatiya Janata Party. This is the reason that now the speculation of Ram Naik joining BJP has intensified. It is believed that Naik will join BJP in the presence of BJP’s Goa in-charge Devendra Fadnavis.
suspense still intact
So far, there has been no official confirmation from Naik about his resignation, nor has he disclosed any details about the upcoming strategy. Naik is yet to open the cards about his next move.
He definitely said in a conversation with the media that, ‘I will tell you soon what is the plan ahead.’ Let us inform that Naik was the Congress MLA from Ponda seat. He submitted his resignation to the Speaker Rajesh Patnekar.
Congress reached from 17 to 3
In the 2017 assembly elections held in Goa, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats. But no one has hidden the plight of the party over time. The party’s MLAs have come down from 17 to 3 before the next election.
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After the 2017 elections, Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane was the first to resign from the Congress. Later he joined BJP and won the by-election from this seat.
Rane is currently the health minister of the state. Soon after Rane’s exit, two more Congress MLAs – Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte – left the party to join the BJP.
Both of them later won the by-elections held in May 2019. The biggest blow to the Goa Congress came in July 2019, when a group of 10 of its MLAs left the party under the leadership of the then Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar.
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