Former Chief Minister of Goa Luizinho Faleiro and nine others on Wednesday joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata. This development comes two days after the former CM resigned as an MLA and a primary member of Congress, claiming the state party unit is run by a “coterie” of leaders.

In his resignation letter to All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi, Faleiro described the Goa Congress unit as “a cruel parody of what the Congress stands for”.

Faleiro also accused former AICC Goa Desk in-charge Digvijaya Singh, without naming him, of stopping him to stake claim to form the government in 2017 despite the Congress having the required number of MLAs on its side.

Also read: Former Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro joins Trinamool Congress

“I was prevented from going to the governor by the AICC desk in-charge and was asked to wait till we had 24 MLAs, a decision that eventually cost us the government and allowed the BJP to steal the mandate through manipulations and inducements,” he alleged.

With Faleiro joining hands with the TMC, many are concered whether his decision of joining the party will split the opposition votes in Goa.

Before the TMC made its formal announcement to contest the Goa polls, the AAP was expected to split the Congress’ votes. The AAP has been aggressively launching programmes to keep Goan voters engaged.

Meanwhile Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on his visits over the last three months, has promised free electricity up to 300 units a month, a law for 80 per cent reservation for locals in private jobs, and an employment allowance for the tourism and mining sectors.

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Goa Forward Party has repeatedly called for a “united opposition” against the BJP, but with the Congress keeping it hanging, it has taken off with visits to various constituencies on its own.

Civil society group turned political party Goencho Avaaz and Mining Dependents Forum (MDF) may all be in the race to garner votes against the BJP. Revolutionary Goans, a political outfit of Goan youth, is also awaiting registration as a party to contest the upcoming elections.

The TMC, which failed to win a single seat in the 2012 Assembly elections, has announced that this time, it is going to be “very serious”. It has brought on board Goa’s former CM Luizinho Faleiro, a Congress veteran of 40 years.

The party, backed by political strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC, is gearing up for the polls at a time when its victory in West Bengal has not faded from public memory.