MAPUSA
Former Tivim MLA Kiran Kandolkar has finally decided to quit BJP and is soon expected to join the regional outfit Goa Forward Party.
The fast paced political developments happened soon after the former legislator was summoned for questioning by the Crime Branch on the matka gambling case.
Kandolkar said his karyakartas were upset because of the vindictive politics played by the BJP.
“My karyakartas have asked me to quit the BJP which I will do within the next couple of days. I have also decided to join the Goa Forward Party,” Kandolkar said.
He said Goans were fed up with the national parties and wanted a regional party to govern the State.
“Joining Goa Forward hasn’t happened overnight. I was in touch with Vijai Sardesai for quite some time now,” he said.
Late in the evening, Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai tweeted appreciating Kandolkar’s view on Goa Forward and his guts to take on the BJP-led government.
“Appreciate Kiran Kandolkar’s view of Goa Forward Party, we’re a party of fighters, proud to defend Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn; Kiran had the courage and self-respect to take on totalitarian BJP govt, even at great personal cost, now, we’ll fight together to save Goa,” Sardesai said in his tweet.
Sources close to the former Tivim MLA informed that Kandolkar is expected to join Goa Forward on October 26.
The former Tivim MLA was at loggerheads with the BJP from the time his nominees were not declared as candidates for the ZP elections.
He then made both his nominees to file nominations as independent candidates for the Colvale and Sirsaim ZP seats.
In the last couple of months, he has been openly criticising the party and finding faults in the functioning of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
He also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the malfunctioning of the BJP government in the State.
