Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco quits as MLA, likely to join TMC

Leaving Congress in a state of shock, its Curtorim MLA and Working President Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco resigned from the assembly membership on Monday. He submitted his resignation letter to Legislative Secretary Namrata Ulman.

According to sources, he is likely to join Trinamool Congress. He has left for Kolkata where he will formally join TMC in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Just last week, Reginaldo was annnounced as Congress' Coutorim candidate for the 2022 Assembly elections.

With Reginaldo's resignation, Congress's strength in the assembly has been reduced to two MLAs including Leader of opposition and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and former chief minister and Poriem MLA Pratap Singh Rane.

Earlier, Reginaldo was in talks with Aam Aadmi Party. However, top Congress leadership managed to convince him to stay in the grand old party.

Reginaldo was first elected to the assembly on the ticket of the Save Goa Front in 2007. The party later merged with the Congress and he was elected on a Congress ticket twice.