10 Goa Congress MLAs join BJP

Congress party which is grappling for survival in Karnataka, suffered yet another blow after 10 of its MLAs in Goa joined the BJP.

"10 Congress MLAs, along with their Opposition Leader, have merged with BJP. Strength of BJP has now risen to 27. They had come for development of the state and their constituency. They have not put forward any condition, they have joined BJP unconditionally, " Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant told reporters here.

Elaborating on the development Deputy Speaker of Goa Assembly, Michael Lobo told ANI over the phone, "Ten MLAs of the Congress party have split from the Congress. Speaker Rajesh Patnekar has accepted the resignations of the 10 MLAs, who form two-thirds of the Congress legislative party of 15 MLAs."

The 10 Congress MLAs who severed ties with the grand old party are -- Chandrakant Kavlekar, Isidore Fernandes, Francis Silveira, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Jennifer, Atanasio Monserrate, Antonio Fernandes, Nilakanth Halarnkar, Clafacio Dias and Wilfred D'Sa.