Former Goa Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco quits Trinamool Congress

Former Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who quit the party to join the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), has now resigned from the AITC.

In a handwritten resignation letter, Lourenco said he is resigning from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect, without citing any reasons.

"AITC has received a letter from Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco resigning from primary membership of the party. We had welcomed him into the party as we have countless others. Now that he wishes to leave, we wish him well," Mahua Moitra, Lok Sabha MP & AITC Goa in-charge said.

Lourenco, who was considered a prize catch, by the Trinamool Congress is the second leader to align forces with the new entrant in Goa's political scene before backing out. Prior to this Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar threw his weight behind the Bengal-based party, before now joining the Congress.

Lourenco, who was described as "unstable" by State Congress president Girish Chodankar, quit the Congress back in December saying that the Trinamool Congress was better placed to defeat the BJP and said he was joining the Trinamool to be on the 'ruling side' after the elections.

However, it soon became clear that his move to the Trinamool Congress was not very well received by his supporters and getting re-elected on a AITC ticket suddenly seemed to be no longer guaranteed.

Congress leader Michael Lobo, who also joined the party recently, called on Lourenco to rejoin the Congress.

Lourenço quit the Congress after he was declared as the party's candidate back in December. When he quit the party for the AITC the Congress said it was 'stunned and betrayed' by Lourenco's move but vowed to put the 'betrayal' behind it and take the party forward.

Upon quitting the Congress, Lourenco hit out at the Congress leadership terming them indecisive and slow to take decisions as reasons for his quitting the party.

Lourenco was earlier too disappointed with the functioning of the Congress party but seemingly decided to keep differences aside after a call from Rahul Gandhi. He was made working president of the party after deciding to recommit himself to the Congress.