AAP, Trinamool now hope to fill Congress's shoes in Goa

AAP and Trinamool said that they have been saying since elections in February that Congress MLAs if elected could cross over to the BJP

Hopes have been reignited in AAP and Trinamool Congress as they saw an opportunity in Congress’s adversity in Goa, where both are working hard to push the main Opposition party to the corners to usurp one of the pole positions in the coastal state.

Both parties were critical of the Congress after reports emerged that at least five of the 11 MLAs including Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo are expected to leave the party for the ruling BJP even as Congress sent its senior leader Mukul Wasnik to handle the situation in the state unit.

The Congress has accused now-ousted Leader of Opposition Lobo and former chief minister Kamat of "conspiring" and "hobnobbing'' with the BJP to engineer a split.

Also read: After going incommunicado, 5 Goa Congress MLAs attend Assembly session, claim nothing is wrong

AAP and Trinamool highlighted that they have been telling the voters during the Assembly elections in February that Congress MLAs if elected could cross over to the BJP. They had cited the crossing over of 15 of the 17 MLAs mainly to the BJP during the campaign.

Trinamool did not fare well in the February polls though it entered into an alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which announced support for the BJP after the polls. The party fought 26 seats and garnered 5.1 per cent of the total votes polled in the state, though it led a high-voltage campaign powered by election strategist Prashant Kishor’s team.

Trinamool Congress has rushed senior leader Derek O’Brien, who handled the party’s entry into the state, and Goa in-charge Kirti Azad to Panaji on Monday where they will attend the state unit meeting to chalk out future strategy.

AAP contested 39 and won two with a vote share of 6.77 per cent even as its supremo Arvind Kejriwal criss-crossed the state.

O'Brien said that his party is committed to Goa as promised in the long term. He tweeted, “BJP = Congress. Dear beautiful people of Goa, you did not heed multiple warnings from Trinamool Congress before the elections just a few months ago. Never mind. We will stand by you.”

AAP's Atishi tweeted, "How many MLAs does Congress have? Classic headline from all states where Congress has MLAs. Sooner or later this number heads towards zero! As Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly said - a vote for the Congress is a vote for the BJP!"

AAP Goa unit tweeted pictures of its MLAs and said, "Congress MLAs are busy getting bought by BJP. AAP MLAs are busy preparing to fight for the people of Goa..."