A day after two Goa Legislative Assembly members of the Congress Party resigned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party claimed that more legislators from the opposition are waiting to cross over.
BJP Goa unit President Vinay Tendulkar said more legislators from Congress might join either the saffron party or the regional parties that are part of the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government.
Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, who represent Shiroda and Mandrem assembly constituencies, respectively, resigned as members of the Legislative Assembly and also as primary members of the party on Tuesday.
The resignations eroded the Congress' status as the single largest party in Goa, as the count of its MLAs came down to 14 from 16 earlier.
"More leaders from Congress want to join us. They can join the BJP if they find our ideology acceptable or they can go to the Goa Forward Party or the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (both alliance partners)," Tendulkar told reporters.
He refused to disclose names of the MLAs who he claims are willing to shift their loyalties.
Senior Congress leaders had on Tuesday said no further split is possible in their party and that remaining flock of 14 MLAs would remain intact.
In the 40-member Goa Assembly, the BJP-led government has the support of 23 MLAs. These comprise 14 BJP MLAs, three each from the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party as well as three independents.
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