Out of 40 legislators, the ruling party has 28; the grand old party has only 3.
In yet another blow to Congress, eight MLAs led by Michael Lobo joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday, after he was removed as opposition leader.
This brings the BJP’s representation in the 40-member Assembly to 28 legislators and 33 members. There were 11 MLAs from the Congress among the 40 members of the House. The BJP now has 28 MLAs, up from 20. Three independent MLAs and two MGP legislators supported the BJP. Saffron party strength has increased to 33, while Congress’s has decreased to three.
Eight legislators have switched parties, including Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira, and Rudolf Fernandes. As a result of joining the BJP, Lobo said, “We intend to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.”