After joining TMC, several supporters of Kiran Kandolkar from Aldona and Tivim quit, allege Kandolkar joined TMC for money

PANAJI: Several supporters and followers of former Tivim MLA Kiran Kandolkar, both from the Aldona and Tivim constituencies have quit and gone their own ways, after Kandolkar switched parties and joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party a few days ago.

According to those who left, many of them alleged that Kandolkar went over to the TMC only for money.

“We have been working alongside Kandolkar for the last 7 to 8 months. However, after the TMC entered Goa, Kandolkar had become very greedy. He thinks he can get Rs 5-7 crore from the TMC for the Assembly elections and will not have to spend a single penny from his own pocket. That is why he joined the TMC,” said a former Kandolkar supporter from Aldona.

According to sources, there was a heated argument between Kandolkar and a group of his supporters on Thursday night and many of them quit and vowed to defeat him because of his greed and over confidence.

The former Tivim MLA Kandolkar and Colvale ZP Member Kavita Kiran Kandolkar (his wife) joined the TMC, at a press conference at Dona Paula a few days ago.

Sarpanchas, panchas and supporters from Tivim and Aldona constituencies who also joined the TMC along with the Kandolkars are now having second thoughts about their association with him. Some of them quit on Thursday and Friday and may join either the Goa Forward Party or the Congress.

“We are totally disillusioned with him. While joining the TMC, Kandolkar said he was impressed with the vision of the TMC and how Mamata Banerjee fought against PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the West Bengal elections, but the truth is that he was only impressed with the money bags of the TMC,” said one of his supporters from Tivim who is likely to quit next week.

Kandolkar said he walked out of the Goa Forward Party, of which he was the working president, as the party was hobnobbing with the Congress for an alliance in the Aldona constituency – a seat he wants to contest the Assembly elections from.