Goa: Digambar Kamat wins confidence vote

Panaji, July 30: The 53-day-old Digambar Kamat Government survived the confidence motion by a ''voice vote'', amid pandemonium and walkout by the Goa Democratic Alliance members today.

Earlier, Speaker Pratapsinh Rane, as soon as the House met at 1430 hrs, announced that he was restraining the two members of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and lone dissident Congress woman legislator Victoria Fernandes, who was absent, from voting and participating in any debates.

This, he said, was as an interim relief to two disqualification petitions filed by Agnelo Fernandes and Chandrakant Kavlekar against them.

On his direction, the Chief Minister moved the motion of confidence which was adopted by a voice vote despite strong opposition from the GDA members and points of order raised by BJP Opposition leader Manohar Parrikar.

The Speaker asked them to ''sit down'' and then proceeded to conclude the remaining business, including adoption of the debate on various budgetary demands and the Goa Appropriation Bill, 2007, all in the absence of the entire Opposition.

The Speaker told the House he has to submit his report on the conduct of the trial of strength in response to a directive of Governor S C Jamir by 1530 hrs.

UNI