Team Herald

MANDREM: On Tuesday, the Congress karyatakas and locals from Mandrem vented their anger over the decision of MLA Dayanand Sopte to join BJP and criticised his move. An effigy of Dayanand Sopte was burnt in Mandrem with slogans being shouted against the sitting MLA.

The karyakatas who toiled with during the election campaign opine that he should have taken them into consideration as they worked day and night to get him elected in Mandrem. They feel betrayed after their MLA’s decision.

A local pointed out that they voted for him because he contested on the Congress ticket. We elected him and made him MLA but he has betrayed our trust. He has forgotten that we exist and hence forth we will not allow him to step into Mandrem.

“The next election in six months’ time will tell if he is with Congress or BJP. We respected him as a Congress MLA and the party has never let him down. The reason for him to switch parties is shocking. The people of Pernem plead with the Congress not to take back the leaders who are leaving and joining some other party. He won the Pernem seat with a margin of over 7000 votes against the ex-Chief Minister.”

 Congress has given him the victory but after this betrayal towards this party the people of Mandrem will decide his fate in the next elections,” he said.