Another blow for Goa Congress, Savio Rodrigues resigns, blames top brass for wasting mandate

Manohar Parrikar on Thursday won the critical trust vote in the legislature, with 22 MLAs backing his government and the Congress getting the support of 16 legislators.

Panaji: In yet another blow for the Congress in Goa, party leader Savio Rodrigues on Friday resigned from the party and blamed the top brass for wasting a mandate in their favour.

Rodrigues resignation comes a day after, Vishajit Rane resigned from the party and the Assembly, complaining that he was sick of the way the party was functioning in Goa.

The Goa Congress leaders have been very vocal of the lackadaisical attitude of the party leadership, especially Digvijay Singh, for wasting the mandate won by the MLAs.

The Congress failed to cobble up a majority despite winning 17 of the 40 seats in Goa, even as all opposition members other than Congress joined hands with BJP to form a government under Parrikar.

Singh is the general secretary incharge of Congress in Goa, who was negotiating with various parties and elected MLAs after the results came in on March 11.

Parrikar on Thursday won the critical trust vote in the legislature, with 22 MLAs backing his government and the Congress getting the support of 16 legislators.

The 22 MLAs who supported the motion included those of the BJP (minus the pro-tem Speaker), three each of Goa Forward and MGP, three Independents and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Churchill Alemao.

After winning the trust vote, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar took a dig at the Congress's state in-charge Digvijaya Singh, saying his party lost out because he came to the coastal state "only to enjoy and not work."