Panaji: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday met Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, with MLAs of the BJP and other parties, to stake claim to form the government.
With this, Parrikar looks likely to become the Chief Minister of Goa. For this, he would have to resign his post as Union Defence Minister.
The BJP in Goa had on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution electing Parrikar as the legislature party leader.
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) had said that it would support the BJP in the state in its efforts to form a government, only if Parrikar was made the Chief Minister.
The BJP has 13 MLAs in Goa after the results of the Assembly elections were announced on Saturday. On Sunday, Parrikar met the Governor with the BJP MLAs, 3 MLAs of MGP, 3 Goa Forward Party MLAs and 3 Independent MLAs, thus taking its number up to 22 in the 40-member Assembly.
Speaking about the developments, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said to ANI, “MGP and Goa Forward Party said during our discussions that only if Manohar Parrikar becomes Goa CM candidate, then we will support BJP.”
However, he added, ”Parrikar will have to resign as Defence Minister before becoming Goa CM, but he has not done it yet”.
“This is a mandate given by the people, though we fell short of majority. Together we have completed the magic figure of 21,” Parrikar said addressing the media later.
“We met the Governor, and we are expecting an invitation. Once we receive it, we will consult our colleagues and decide the date for swearing in,” Parrikar added.
The Congress, which won 17 seats in Goa, will thus once again have to sit in the Opposition, after doing so from 2012 to 2017.
