Panaji, July 22 Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, reacting to cross-voting in the presidential election, on Friday sarcastically said that if Congress in the coastal state is united then it is a "real news, knowledge and revolution" for him.
NDA's strength in the Goa Assembly is 25, however votes polled for Droupadi Murmu were 28. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant thanked three MLAs from opposition benches who cross-voted in support of President-elect Murmu.
Sardesai had contested the February 2022 Assembly election as an ally of the Congress. He had advocated the need of forming 'Team Goa' during the Assembly election, to bring opposition parties together to take on the BJP. However, despite the GFP and Congress forming an alliance, they couldn't deter the BJP from becoming stronger. BJP has 20 seats, Congress 11 and GFP has one MLA in the 40-members Legislative Assembly.
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira reacting to the cross-voting said, "Why do you think it would be Congress, it could be anyone else. I think Congress was intact," he said.
Congress MLA Sankalp Amonkar said that there is no need to doubt Congress as all MLAs of his party were intact. "We all voted for Yashwant Sinha, why are you doubting us? It was a secret ballot, even you can't ask me. But I have guaranteed that all 11 Congress MLAs have voted for Sinha.
"Yashwant Sinha is a tall leader, had he come to campaign in Goa then the scene would have been different," Amonkar said.
GFP supremo Vijai Sardesai, reacting to statements of Congress MLAs, said that cross voting was supposed to happen and there is nothing new in it. "Weren't you aware that it will happen? (questioning reporter) I expected that more cross voting would have taken place," Sardesai told reporters.
According to Sardesai, it was predicted that cross-voting will take place in the presidential election which will benefit NDA's candidate Droupadi Murmu.
"Is Congress united in Goa? If you tell me that they are united then it is a revolution for me, it's real news for me, it's knowledge for me," Sardesai sarcastically said.
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