Sonia Gandhi rushes Mukul Wasnik to Goa amid disarray in Congress

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has rushed Member of Parliament Mukul Wasnik to Goa as the party appeared to be in a disarray there amid indications that a group of its lawmakers was likely to cross over to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Congress’s Goa in charge, on Sunday accused the BJP of conspiring with Digambar Kamat and Micheal Lobo to ensure that the Congress “is weakened, and to engineer splits and defections”.

In a tweet late on Sunday, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said Gandhi has asked Wasnik to rush to Goa to oversee political development in the state.

Five lawmakers, including Kamat, leader of opposition Lobo, and his wife Delilah, were on Sunday at the official residence of chief minister Pramod Sawant, . Sawant maintained the five visited him to discuss pending work.

The breakaway group does not have the required numbers to avoid action under the anti-defection law, leaving it unclear how they plan to carry forward their split.

There was no official communication from the breakaway group on whether they were joining the BJP. Congress announced that a group revolted and promised action against it.

It emerged on Sunday that there were two camps within the Congress . One with five lawmakers said to be eager to join the BJP and another camp of six legislators opposed to the move.

In the 40-member assembly, the ruling BJP has 20 seats, one short of the majority. The party enjoys the support of three independents and two members of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

Goa has a history of defections and individuals changing parties. It created a record for having 13 chief ministers in 12 years between 1989 and 2000.