PANJIM: Michael Lobo, who continued as Leader of Opposition (LOP) until his last day in Congress, seems to have used his official cabin for all the strategising required to engineer the defection of the eight Congress MLAs who merged with the BJP on Wednesday.

Congress, on the eve of the monsoon session of the Goa Assembly removed Lobo as its Congress Legislature Party (CLP), calling him a conspirator, and wrote to the Assembly Speaker seeking the disqualification of Lobo and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, claiming that the duo had voluntarily given up the membership of the party.

Yet, Lobo continued as the LOP and enjoyed the allowances and other perks the post offered, even as he reportedly worked in the background with his former saffron party leaders to split the Congress. This all could happen thanks to the Congress High Command for failing to choose its new CLP leader for the last two months.

Advocate Parag Rao, who was instrumental in orchestrating the mass defection of Congress MLAs to the BJP back in 2019, and again today, said “There is no need of the Opposition Leader to sign the merger, as the resolution has been taken by all the MLAs intending to do so. Any two-thirds majority of MLAs can decide and merge.”

Goa Congress president Amit Patkar said that AICC observer MP Mukul Wasnik was expected to arrive in Goa on Thursday to select its new CLP leader even as the possibility of Congress now holding the Leader of the Opposition post is doubtful. As per the rule, the opposition party must have at least 10 per cent of the total Assembly seats to get the Opposition Leader’s post. Congress is now falling short as it has only three MLAs.

However, Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira, who could have been in contention, said that it is up to the Assembly Speaker to take the decision of granting the Opposition Leader’s post.

In Goa, the Opposition Leader is accorded Cabinet Status and is also appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).