Kolkata Dec 20 PTI Senior Goa Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco who resigned as an MLA on Monday morning ahead of next years assembly election reached Kolkata in the evening and is likely to join the Trinamool CongressThe working president of the Goa Congress was welcomed at the Kolkata airport by TMC MP Santanu SenHe will meet our partys top leadership tonight and join the party a senior TMC leader saidLourenco resigned as a Member of the Goa Legislative Assembly earlier in the day reducing the Congress strength to two in the 40-member HouseThe Congress reacted sharply to Lourencos resignation saying people who betray the trust will face consequences and that voters from Lourencos Assembly segment will teach him a befitting lessonA few months back ex-CM Luizinho Faleiro had also quit the Congress and joined the TMC which has decided to contest the Goa Assembly pollsThe TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week visited Goa on a two-day political trip and addressed several public meetingsThe TMC which is trying to make inroads in the political landscapes of other states has been up in arms against the grand old party over its alleged failure to counter the BJP PTI PNT NN NN

Panaji Dec 20 PTI In yet another jolt the Congress ahead of the Goa Assembly polls the partys state working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco resigned as Member of the Legislative Assembly on Monday reducing the partys strength to two in the 40-member House Two other Congress leaders had also recently resigned as MLAs in the state where elections are due early next year Notably the Congress last week declared its first list of eight candidates for the forthcoming state polls and Lourencos name figured in it Lourenco who represented the Curtorim Assembly segment in south Goa district submitted his resignation to the Assembly Speakers office on Monday afternoon He later also resigned from the Congress sources said Lourenco who was the working president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee was not available for comments He may join the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Party TMC soon the sources said Earlier this month former Goa chief minister Ravi Naik resigned as Congress MLA A few months back ex-CM Luizinho Faleiro had also quit the Congress and joined the TMC which has decided to contest the Goa Assembly polls In the 2017 Goa Assembly elections the Congress had won 17 seats in the House and emerged as the single largest party But the BJP which had bagged 13 seats quickly tied-up with some regional parties and independents to form government in the state PTI RPS GK GK

Panaji Nov 23 PTI Congress leaders in Goa on Tuesday scrambled to clear the air a day after state unit working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco visited the hotel where BJPs Goa election incharge Devendra Fadnavis has been staying Lourencos midnight visit to the hotel had triggered various speculations in political circles ahead of the Goa Assembly polls due in February next year Lourenco was spotted leaving the hotel on Monday midnight He had refused to divulge the purpose of his visit when asked by media persons waiting there On Tuesday Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar told reporters that he had asked Lourenco to visit the hotel to attend a scheduled meeting with a poll strategist Lourenco had not gone to meet any BJP leader A meeting was scheduled with an election strategist As I couldnt go I sent Lourenco there in midnight Chodankar told a press conference The Congress leader said one cannot screen the hotels for the presence of BJP leaders Meanwhile Lourenco told reporters that he was supposed to meet an election strategist in the hotel but moved out immediately when he came to know that BJP leaders were staying there When I saw BJP leaders were present there I thought of moving back immediately he said and added that he was loyal to Congress and will remain so PTI RPS NSK NSK