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In a twist to the political scene in Goa, Bharatiya Janata Party's Deputy Chief Minister Ravi Naik on Friday resigned from the government as well as the party.
Naik is expected to join the Congress and contest the assembly polls, scheduled for May 30, from Ponda, his constituency. Interestingly, the BJP had already confirmed his ticket.
Naik was not available for comments as he was busy in a meeting with his workers.
However, Raj Bhavan confirmed the receipt of a fax regarding his resignation, sent to Governor Mohammed Fazal.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has faced a major blow due to his last-minute exit, was also not available for comments.
Naik is known for his organisational skill and represents the majority Bhandari community in the state.
Naik and three others had split from the Congress in October 2000. He later joined the saffron brigade and helped form the BJP government.
Ramakant Khalap and Sanjay Bandekar -- Naik's other two colleagues who had defected from the Congress - have already left the BJP. All three of them are likely to get Congress tickets.
The BJP has already fielded the fourth defector -- Babu Azagaonkar.
Meanwhile, Professor Surendra Sirsat, former president of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, has also quit his party. He has been reportedly offered a Congress ticket from Mapusa, the constituency he represented earlier.
All these tickets, however, will be confirmed only when the Congress officially announces the list in New Delhi on Friday evening.
People are waiting to see whether the Congress will give tickets to all the defectors, who had split at some time or the other to join hands with the opposition.
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