Former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro, who earlier resigned as Congress MLA on Monday, arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday Along with some of his loyalists amid reports from the Trinamool Congress that he would join the Bengal ruling outfit on Wednesday.
Faleiro was received at the NSI Airport by senior Bengal minister Sujit Bose.
The former Goa Chief Minister earlier said that the Congress’ Goa unit was being run by a “coterie of leaders who prioritise only self-interest” though he would not comment about his earlier party on Tuesday.
Feleiro was likely to join the TMC in presence of Bengal Chief Minister --- whom he praised earlier --- at Kshudiram Anushilan Mancha on Wednesday unconfirmed reports said adding some MLAs and senior leaders too were likely to join the Trinamool along with him.
Sources in the TMC said that former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee general secretaries Yatish Naik and Vijai Pai, senior lawyer Antonio Clovis da Costa, and writer N Shivdas could also join the Bengal ruling outfit.
The exit of Faleiro, who represented the Navelim Assembly seat, has reduced the Congress'' strength in the 40-member Goa Assembly to four.
According to sources some senior Trinamool leaders including its Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien were camping in coastal state and were working in close coordination with pollster Prashant Kishore’s IPAC.
“We will contest the Goa elections and would do goo there,” said a senior Bengal TMC leader adding “whatever has to be told would be told by Mamata Banerjee tomorrow but for now it is most likely that some top leaders from Goa are joining us and we are going to contest the elections in that State.”