Goa : Minister quits legislature, joins BJP

Following the resignation of two BJP MLAs on Tuesday in Goa, Govind Gaude, an independent legislator, and the state's Art and Culture Minister, resigned as an MLA and announced that he would be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party later in the day.

It has been decided that I will contest the upcoming elections on a BJP ticket. I believe contesting on an independent ticket will limit me to my constituency alone. As someone who has risen through agitations, I believe this is a step in the right direction," Gaude said.

As of today, four MLAs have quit the BJP in the last one month, while three sitting MLAs have joined the party, namely Ravi Naik (Congress), Rohan Khaunte (Independent) and Jayesh Salgaokar (Goa Forward).