PANJIM: Cuncolim MLA Yuri Alemao on Tuesday appointed as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi in lieu of the exodus of the party’s eight MLAs to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week.
Yuri replaces Leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo, who along with Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was expelled from the Congress ahead of the monsoon session of the Goa Assembly in July this year.
The party had also written to the Assembly Speaker seeking the disqualification of Lobo and Kamat, claiming that the duo had voluntarily given up their membership in the party.
“Honourable Congress President has appointed Yuri Alemao as the leader of Congress Legislature Party with immediate effect,” a statement by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary K C Venugopal, said.
Besides Yuri, there are only two other Congress MLAs — Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Altone D’Costa in the Legislative Assembly. The Opposition in Goa is reduced to seven MLAs — three of Congress, two from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one each from the regional Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP).
The ruling BJP, which had 20 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly has now increased its strength to 28. Its coalition now enjoys the support of 33 MLAs, including two from the oldest regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three independents.
Meanwhile, Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira, who was also in the race for the CLP leader’s post has welcomed Yuri’s appointment and has assured to work unitedly to revive and rebuild the party.
“It’s not a matter of you and me, it’s a matter of working as a team and rebuilding the party. In politics, one can expect many things. You may have many aspirations and hopes, you may succeed or not,” he said, emphasising the need to work as a team to meet the people’s aspirations.
