10 Goa Cong MLAs join BJP, swearing-in of ministers on Friday

Ten Goa Congress MLAs, who shifted allegiance to BJP on Wednesday night, joined the party here on Thursday ahead of induction of some of them in the state Cabinet.

They joined BJP in the presence of its Working President J P Nadda and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant here on Thursday.

According to sources, the MLAs will return to Goa on Friday morning as the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers will take place there tomorrow.

The 10 MLAs will also meet BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah before leaving for home.

With this, the Congress party which is grappling for survival in Karnataka, has suffered yet another blow on the formal induction of its 10 MLAs into the BJP, taking the party's strength from 17 to 27 in the Legislative Assembly.

On Wednesday, Sawant arrived Delhi along with 10 MLAs to meet Shah to discuss strategy and further political developments.

With 10 MLAs changing the sides, the strength of Congress on the floor of the House was reduced to mere five.

These MLAs include -- Kavlekar, Isidore Fernandes, Francis Silveira, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Jennifer, Atanasio Monserrate, Antonio Fernandes, Nilakanth Halarnkar, Clafacio Dias and Wilfred D'Sa.