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Cong fields Lobo’s wife for deputy speaker election days after Goa defection row
The election to the post of deputy speaker was to be held on Monday last week but was called off amid speculation of a merger between two-thirds of the Congress MLAs with the BJP, a move that did not ultimately materialise.
The Congress in Goa on Thursday fielded Delilah Lobo, wife of Michael Lobo, as the opposition candidate for the post of deputy speaker despite the apparent acrimony between the party and her husband who was accused of conspiring with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to split the state Congress earlier this month.
The election to the post of deputy speaker was to be held on Monday last week but was called off amid speculation of a merger between two-thirds of the Congress MLAs with the BJP, a move that did not ultimately materialise.
“We held a meeting of all Congress MLAs and asked who should be the party’s candidate for deputy speaker. It was a unanimous choice and they said that Delilah Lobo will be the party’s choice for the post of deputy speaker,” Michael Lobo said.
The Congress has also approached other opposition parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Revolutionary Goans to support her candidature, he added. The AAP and Goa Forward Party later said they will support Delilah’s candidature.
Delilah was among four party MLAs, along with Michael, who was spotted at the official residence of chief minister Pramod Sawant on July 10, triggering speculation that they would cross over to the ruling BJP.
At a press conference later that day, state Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy in collusion with leader of opposition Digambar Kamat and Lobo to weaken the principal opposition party, even as Sawant said the visit was to discuss pending work.
Michael Lobo was removed as leader of opposition with immediate effect.
The party also moved a disqualification petition against Kamat and Lobo for “anti-party activities”, which is pending in the Speaker’s office. The two legislators, however, claimed they were with the party and made no attempts to split the state unit to merge with the BJP.
During the election for the deputy speaker, Delilah will be facing BJP’s Joshua de Souza, who has already filed his nomination and is expected to win 25 votes in the 40-member house.
The post has been lying vacant ever since deputy speaker Subhash Faldesai resigned and was inducted in the Cabinet that was expanded in early April.
Michael Lobo has said he is still awaiting word from the Congress leadership on the fate of the disqualification petition against him.
“Everyone knows what happened at the time. There are ups and downs in politics and we have to take these in our stride. They will have to decide,” he said.
“Delilah Lobo is the joint opposition candidate for the post of deputy speaker and will have the support of all opposition parties,” Vijai Sardesai of Goa Forward Party said.
