Panaji, Apr 14 (IANS): Goa's ruling BJP on Wednesday welcomed the decision of regional party Goa Forward to quit the National Democratic Alliance, saying the party was like "inauspicious eclipse".

"This is a welcome decision. The Goa BJP is glad because we had sacked them from the government in 2019 after informing the national party leaders. The Goa Forward was like an inauspicious eclipse to the NDA. Now the eclipse is gone," state BJP spokesperson Urfan Mulla told reporters.

On Tuesday, Goa Forward President and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai, in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said that the party was forced to quit the NDA, blaming Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for leading a regime "marked by corruption and dishonesty".

Mulla said that the NDA is a national coalition of political parties and the Goa Forward was neither a national party, nor did it have any MPs.

"They have no Lok Sabha MP or Rajya Sabha MP. NDA is a national coalition. Goa Forward was in the NDA for timepass. They were waiting to return to government with the BJP. They have quit in frustration now," he said.

Goa Forward had contested the 2017 Assembly polls on an anti-BJP plank. However in a flip-flop, the party formed a post-poll alliance with the BJP, after which all its three MLAs were appointed as cabinet ministers in the Manohar Parrikar-led government.

After Parrikar's death in 2019 and the elevation of Sawant as Chief Minister, all three ministers including Sardesai -- who was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister for a few days -- were dropped from the cabinet and Goa Forward was forced to the opposition benches in the Assembly.