February 4, 2022 – On Friday, the Congress candidates and its alliance Goa Forward Party (GFP) pledged loyalty to their respective parties. They swore not to defect after getting elected in the upcoming poll.
Thirty-seven congress candidates and 3 GFP candidates took oath in front of Rahul Gandhi.
Earlier, thirty-six congress candidates had already pledged their loyalty on January 22 in front of priests in a Temple, Church, and a Dargah.
If the first pledge was before God, the latter this day was on an affidavit which they will hand over to Rahul Gandhi, who will turn it into Sonia Gandhi.
The election candidates swore by the Constitution of India in the Konkani language. Their pledge said if elected to the legislative assembly in 2022, they will complete their five-year term as an MLA of the Congress party as per the rules of the Constitution of India.
“The Congress-Goa Forward Party government will work together for the people and I will be bound to it,” the candidates pledged.
Apart from Rahul Gandhi, Congress’s senior election observer P Chidambaram, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar, and South Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha were also present for the vent.
The MLA defection has been something that has affected Congress in the past.
In the 2017 elections, Congress won 17 seats out of the 40 seats. However, it was BJP that won 13 seats that took power with help from independent candidates and other parties.
In 2019, 15 Congress MLAs defected to the ruling party, thus hurting the Congress’ strength in the state.
Earlier the AAP had made their candidates sign anti-defection affidavits.
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