Panaji, Mar 1 (IANS): After unprecedented party hopping by Goa legislators from 2017 to 2022, a well-known Catholic priest in Goa, Fr Eremito Rebello, on Tuesday, warned candidates who would be declared winners on March 10, against defecting to another political party.

In a video message, Rebello, who has been at the forefront of several civil society agitations in Goa and spearheaded the role of the Church in the social sphere, has also urged the people of Goa to keep vigil and gherao MLAs if they switch parties.

"People should not keep quiet this time. Everyone, those who are politicians, winners, losers and people, all the people of Goa should put them in place. If we do not, this will continue... We (the people) have to bring them on track, no one else will be able to do it," Rebello said.

"I appeal to the people of Goa, if any candidate wins on one party ticket and then joins another, then all the people of Goa should gherao him, stage a dharna outside his house and force him to resign from the party he has joined and request him to recontest again," he also said.

A total 15 out of 17 Congress MLAs quit the party between 2017-2022, with most of them joining the ruling BJP. MLAs from other parties like the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward party also joined the BJP during the same period.

Rampant defections and party hopping has been a key electoral issue ahead of the February 14 assembly polls, with the Congress making its candidates take oath against defection before religious deities while also making them sign affidavits.

Incidentally, last week the Bombay High Court upheld last year's order by Goa Speaker Rajesh Patnekar, who rejected petitions filed by the Congress and the MGP seeking disqualification of its MLAs who had joined the BJP.

According to Rebello, switching parties was a betrayal of the electorate and that defection was more a moral and ethical issue, rather than a legal one.

"After you are elected, if you leave the party for which people have voted for and join another party... you may say that the court of law can do nothing to us, but I want to say, this is not a matter of court, this is a matter of conscience," Rebello said.

"When people vote for you, they vote from their conscience. Therefore, morality and ethics is applicable here and not law. Therefore, if you betray people and join other party, then this time people will not stay quiet," he also said.