PANAJI
Aam Aadmi Party leader Amit Palekar on Thursday questioned Congress whether they could provide any guarantees that their candidate would not defect.
"There is no single party in the State that will ensure that its candidate will not join the BJP. In 2019, 10 Congress MLAs joined the BJP. Now, as Congress releases its first list of candidates, Reginaldo joins the TMC. It is expected that Sudhir Kandolkar, a Mapusa candidate of Congress who helped the BJP win the Mapusa Municipal, will join BJP. Such poaching in the state indicates that BJP has learned that majority wins cannot be achieved", he added.
In a press release, AAP stated that Goa, despite being a tiny state has been popular for political defections. To resolve the problem, Aam Aadmi Party candidates will sign a legal affidavit, promising not to switch parties, said AAP leader Amit Palekar on Thursday.
While addressing the media, he stated that Goans have been witnessing a worrying new trend of overtly corporatised corruption in politics.
He said, "Therefore, to resolve this problem, AAP candidates will sign an affidavit and distribute it among Goan voters, assuring them they won't jump to another party. If they do, voters can take legal action".
He added, "As soon as AAP announces its candidate, the affidavit will be filled out. If a candidate leaves AAP and joins another party, they are immediately disqualified as MLAs".
He claimed that if someone decides to write an encyclopedia of defections, it will be based on Goan politics. The spate of resignations, defections, and inductions has evoked a groundswell of resentment among citizens. Disgruntled with both parties, the people have been looking forward to an alternative that will bring something new to this political platter, the release added.
He further said, "A defection matter is pending with the speaker. The speaker is authorized to take necessary action. However, there has been a lack of political will, which is why the matter has been pending".
