As Cong stakes claim to form Govt, top BJP leaders likely to arrive in Goa

Panaji, Mar 17: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are likely to arrive in Goa on Sunday after Congress wrote to the governor staking claim once again.

The MLAs and core committee members of Goa BJP had a met earlier to discuss the political situation rising out of the health condition of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The news of Manohar Parrikar's health condition having worsened triggered hectic political activities across parties in Goa on Saturday.

However, the chief minister's office later dismissed it as "rumours" and said that the CM was "stable".

Six MLAs, allies in the BJP-led Goa government, had met Parrikar earlier in the day and extended support to him.

Congress has staked claim to form the government in the coastal state.

In a letter addressed to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said that the Parrikar-led coalition government is in a minority and its numbers may "dwindle".

"Consequent upon the sad demise of Francis D'Souza, MLA, who belonged to the BJP, it is humbly submitted that the incumbent BJP-led state government under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar, which has long lost the trust of the people and now also lost strength in the House," Kavlekar said in the letter.

"Also, we anticipate that numbers of the BJP may further dwindle," he wrote to the Governor requesting that such minority government be not allowed to continue even for a moment. "It is, therefore, incumbent upon you to dismiss the state government led by the BJP to ensure that the Indian National Congress, which is the single-largest party in the august House and is presently enjoying the majority, be called to form government," Kavlekar said.

The strength of the Goa Assembly has reduced from 40 to 37 after the death of BJP lawmaker and resignation of two MLAs -Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte. Currently, the Congress party has 14 MLAs, while the BJP has 13 MLAs. Parrikar was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in February 2018 and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since then.