India, March 18 -- Former Tourism Minister Francisco Xavier Mickey Pacheco on Tuesday raised concerns over recent political developments in Goa, alleging a decline in standards of political conduct and leadership.

Referring to the upcoming Ponda by-election, Pacheco said it was expected for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to field a candidate, but questioned the functioning of the Indian National Congress in the state. He criticised the Congress for what he described as repeated strategic errors and a lack of introspection following past defections.

Highlighting what he termed as "contradictions" in candidate selection, Pacheco pointed out that a former rival candidate has now been fielded by the Congress, which, according to hi...