Several Congress leaders in Goa resigned from the party ahead of General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s visit to the state on Friday.
A group of party leaders from the Porvorim Assembly constituency, who tendered their resignations on Friday, are supported by Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte.
“The Congress party does not seem to be interested in contesting the upcoming Goa elections seriously,” said former zilla panchayat member Gupesh Naik, who was leading the group. “It is a non-starter due to the attitude of some of its leaders.”
On Thursday, Moreno Rebelo, senior Congress leader from South Goa, had also submitted his resignation.
In a letter addressed to the party’s state unit chief Girish Chodankar, Rebelo said he was upset after the party announced the candidature of sitting MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco from the Curtorim constituency. Rebelo hails from Curtorim.
He claimed that Lourenco had not participated in party activities for the last four-and-a-half years and worked against Congress. “I would like to resign from the Congress party as I do not see any future for me in the party,” he wrote.
On Tuesday, MLA and former Chief Minister Ravi Naik had tendered his resignation from the state Assembly. Naik had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on the same day of his resignation.
In September, veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro had quit the Sonia Gandhi-led party and joined the Trinamool Congress.
On Friday, Vadra will be holding meetings across the state, addressing events and interacting with youngsters and women during her day-long visit.
