Defection mastermind CT Ravi shown the door by people of K'taka: Goa Congress

Panaji, May 13 Alleging that BJP's Goa in-charge C.T. Ravi was the mastermind behind the last two episodes of defections that took place in Goa, the state Congress on Saturday said that the people of Karnataka have shown him the door for "murdering democracy".

In the Karnataka Assembly elections, the results of which were declared on Saturday, Ravi lost to Congress candidate H.D. Thammaiah from Chikmagalur by a margin of 5,926 votes.

"C.T. Ravi was mastermind behind the last two defections that took place in Goa. He was one who went ahead with the defection episode, and today the people of Karnataka have hown him the door. The people of Karnataka have shown that those who murder democracy should be turned away," Goa Congress President Amit Patkar said while addressing a press conference here.

Patkar also praised Rahul Gandhi for his efforts to unite the people of Karnataka through the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

"The efforts of Rahul Gandhi to unite the people of Karnataka have got reflected in the results. The Bharat Jodo Yatra had passed through 51 constituencies and we have won most of them. People have shown their power by defeating the murderers of democracy," Patkar said.

"In democracy, people's power is supreme," he added.

Patkar also said that the efforts of Goa's BJP ministers and leaders, who campaigned in Karnataka, have proved futile now.

In 2019, 10 MLAs of the Congress had defected and had joined the BJP. The defection episode repeated after the February 2022 Assembly elections, and on September 14, eight MLAs of the Congress jumped ship to the BJP, reducing the grand old party's strength in the state to just three MLAs.

Ravi, while addressing BJP's state executive committee meeting in Panaji on May 28 last year, had said that many in the Congress were in touch with him to join the BJP.

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