Goa assembly speaker's election: AAP says it supported Congress nominee 'under protest'

Panaji, Sep 25 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said it reluctantly supported the Congress candidate in the election to the Goa assembly speaker' post despite being "backstabbed" by the grand old party during the Delhi assembly polls, as he was an opposition's candidate.

The AAP said it voted in favour of Congress' Altone D'Costa "under protest".

BJP legislator Ganesh Gaonkar was on Thursday elected the speaker of the Goa legislative assembly after securing a majority vote during a special session of the 40-member House. Gaonkar polled 32 votes against his rival Congress nominee D'Costa, who was supported by only seven MLAs. The sitting speaker can vote only in case of a tie.

The seven MLAs who supported D'Costa belong to Congress (three), AAP (two), Goa Forward Party (one) and Revolutionary Goans Party (one).

Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva are the two AAP legislators.

Talking to reporters, Silva said the AAP has no links with the Congress which had backstabbed it during the Delhi elections.

"We are not on the same page with the Congress. We have a different ideology and we will never share a platform with them. Congress had worked against AAP in Delhi elections despite the fact that AAP had supported Congress' candidate during Lok Sabha elections in Goa," the MLA said.

"We supported the candidature of D'Costa under protest as he contested against the BJP candidate," he added.

Another AAP legislator Viegas said that for any political party, sincerity and accountability are what matter.

"Congress does not have both these qualities," he added. PTI RPS NP