the goan I network
MARGAO
While the Goa Legislative Assembly was in the thick of action in the evening after the 10-member group of MLAs merged with the BJP, a marathon meeting at the residence of Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa that lasted for five long hours and ended at 2 am on Wednesday finally sealed the decision for the 10-member group to embrace the BJP.
The Goan understands that majority of the remaining nine Congress MLAs including Babush Monseratte, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Francis Silveira along with BJP Calangute MLA Michael Lobo converged at Wilfred’s residence at 9 pm on Tuesday and after a marathon five-hour meeting, they got the Nuvem MLA, who had strong reservations on leaving the Congress, to join the group at 2 in the morning.
Sources in the 10-member group informed that the Nuvem MLA was never a part of the group. At the same time, the Congress MLAs, part of the G-10 were aware of the stark reality that they cannot join the BJP if they cannot muster minimum 10 MLAs to quit the party to embrace the ruling party.
The Goan understands that the process to seriously woo the Nuvem MLA began on Tuesday evening, moments after Wilfred along with Digambar Kamat and Clafacio Dias inspected the South Goa district hospital. Sources in the know said that Congress MLAs Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Francis Silveira had a meeting with the Nuvem MLA at a Margao hotel. The focus of discussion was to persuade the Nuvem MLA to join the remaining nine Congress MLAs, but Wilfred and his close aide returned home after saying a firm no to leave the Congress.
In the evening, the Nuvem MLA is believed to have called a meeting with his close supporters from Nuvem and the unanimous decision was against quitting the Congress to join the BJP.
Sources, however, said that the remaining members of the G-10 including Babush Monseratte, Francis Silveira and others descended at Nuvem with a one-point agenda
to persuade Wilfred and his aides to reconsider their decision.
What finally convinced the Nuvem MLA and his close aides to do a re-think is the assurances handed out by the group of MLAs that the three Goa Forward party Ministers, including Vijai Sardesai would be dropped from the coalition government if the G-10 merges into the ruling party.
The group also promised Wilfred and his aides that that Nuvem will witness a host of development works in the constituency.
Wilfred told The Goan on late Wednesday that he finally took the decision to leave the Congress after he and his workers were assured by leaders of the G-10 group that the government will bring about all round development in Nuvem and will drop all the three Goa Forward party Ministers from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s Cabinet.
