Goa ‘Notorious’ For Defections: AAP Leader Says Candidates Will Sign Affidavits Committing To Not Quit Party
As per the AAP leader, to resolve the problem of political defections, AAP candidates will sign affidavits that will be distributed among their voters.
New Delhi: Ahead of the Goa Assembly election slated to take place early next year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided that its candidates will have to sign legal affidavits mentioning that they will not quit the party to join another one.
According to AAP leader Amit Palekar, the decision has been taken to stem defections as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party feels that the coastal state is “notorious” for politicians jumping to other parties, news agency PTI reported.
ALSO READ | ‘Centre Should Think Of Kumbh’: Despite COVID Surge, Mamata Banerjee Says Can’t Stop Ganga Sagar Mela
The AAP will be contesting all 40 seats in the Goa assembly election, scheduled to be held in February 2022.
“Goa, despite being a tiny state, is notorious for political defections,” AAP leader Amit Palekar told the media, as quoted by PTI.
“In order to resolve the problem, the AAP candidates will sign a legal affidavit, promising that they will not quit the party to join another one,” he informed.
The AAP leader went on to question Congress whether it could provide any guarantee that its candidates would not defect.
“There is not a single party in the state, which can assure that its candidate will not join the BJP. In 2019, as many as 10 Congress MLAs had joined the BJP,” Amit Palekar said.
He mentioned how Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who had figured in the first list of candidates released by Congress, has joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is also contesting all the seats in Goa.
“Another Congress candidate is also likely to join the BJP soon. Such poaching in the state indicates that the ruling BJP has learned that majority wins cannot be achieved,” he added.
As per the AAP leader, to resolve this problem, AAP candidates will sign affidavits that will be distributed among their voters, assuring them that they would not join any other party.
“If they do so, voters can take legal action against them,” he added.
Amit Palekar stated that AAP candidates will sign the affidavits as soon as the party makes the formal announcement.
“If a candidate quits AAP and joins another party, they are immediately disqualified as MLAs,” he added.
Besides BJP and Congress, AAP and TMC have entered the political battlefield in Goa as both parties are trying to spread their footprint in the upcoming assembly elections.
AAP had recently ruled out having an alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led party in Goa. Meanwhile, Trinamool has announced a tie-up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Goa’s oldest regional outfit, for the polls to the 40-member assembly due in early 2022.
(With Agency Inputs)
Top Headlines
