Velim: BJP minister Philip Nery Rodrigues has been unsuccessfully trying to contest upcoming election on TMC ticket, sources stated adding that the party has kept him at a bay.
Highly placed sources stated that Rodrigues had sent fillers to TMC for a ticket in Velim constituency, after the party gained popularity there following intense campaign by Advocate Antonio Clovis Da Costa and legendary sportsman Leander Paes.
Rodrigues has been reluctant to contest on BJP ticket in Velim. His re-entry inCongress party has also been blocked.
Sources stated that TMC has decided to avoid accepting defectors in its fold as the party has been campaigning with the claim that BJP and Congress are equal as one provides MLAs to other. Anti-defection has been a plank for TMC in the upcoming election.
AAP has also kept the defectors at arm’s length and projected its own candidate in Velim. AAP is also gaining strong grounds in this constituency.
