Setback for Congress before Goa Assembly polls, former CM Faleiro likely to join TMC

Panaji (Goa) [India], September 27 : The Congress party is likely to witness a big blow in Goa ahead of the Assembly polls due in early next year.
According to sources, former Goa Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro will join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday. He is likely to hold a press conference today where he may announce his departure from the party.
Faleiro, one of the tallest leaders in Goa, is an MLA from Navelim, a Congress stronghold. To the dismay of the Congress, Falerio was made the head of the coordination committee in the election committees released for Goa earlier this week. He had been an AICC in Incharge of North East States recently.
Currently, Congress has five MLAs in the Goa Assembly. Faleiro's exit from Congress, which is out of power in the state since 2012, will certainly prove to be a major setback for the party.
Sources said Faleiro is in touch with the top TMC leadership and will make the announcement of joining the party this evening.
Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Goa in the last Assembly polls but successive defections have left only five MLAs in its bouquet.
Meanwhile, other parties like the Aam Aadmi Party and now the TMC are seeking opportunities to set their feet in the state.