Trinamool Leader Luizinho Faleiro Quits As Rajya Sabha MP

Trinamool Congress leader and former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro resigned as a Rajya Sabha MP today.

Mr Faleiro was elected to the Rajya Sabha on a TMC ticket ahead of the Goa Assembly Elections in 2022. The seven-term MLA from Navelim was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal in November 2021.

The resignation comes a day after the Trinamool Congress along with parties like the Nationalist Congress Party and the CPI lost their national party tags. The TMC's national expansion plans did not go as planned as it suffered setbacks in states like Goa.

Reports in Goa suggest that Mr Faleiro was being nudged by the Mamata Banerjee-led party to resign as a Member of Parliament. The Trinamool leadership has been reportedly upset with Mr Faleiro, 71, after he refused to contest the 2022 Goa Assembly Elections from Fatorda against Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party.

Reacting to the resignation, TMC said, "We wish Mr. Luizinho Faleiro good health, happiness, and long life. We sincerely hope that he continues to tirelessly serve the people of Goa and strive towards achieving more progress and advancement of the state. AITC will announce a new candidate for the seat as and when the election is notified."

In 2021, following the TMC's emphatic foray into Goan politics, the party had asked Rajya Sabha MP Arpita Ghosh to quit despite the fact that she had a term till 2026, to promote Mr Faleiro to the Upper House.

In January last year, Mr Faleiro played down rumours that he was quitting the TMC after his decision to not contest the 2022 Assembly Elections had triggered widespread speculations.

The 71-year-old has since been sidelined by the Trinamool leadership from the party's affairs in Goa.