The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) launched frantic efforts on Thursday to salvage the 7-month-old coalition government in Goa, a day after three ministers resigned from the Digambar Kamat ministry, and three NCP MLAs said they had withdrawn support to the government.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel rushed here to mediate a way out of the political impasse, but late Thursday night the two parties said talks had remained inconclusive over some demands by the rebel group.
 “I don’t see any problem to the government and am hopeful that the situation will be resolved amicably when the talks resume in Delhi tomorrow,” Mr Patel said. He had told Deccan Herald earlier in the evening that the NCP was “unhappy” that their MLAs had taken an unilateral decision to withdraw support, but they were talking to them now to resolve the crisis.

 The NCP leader also met with independent MLAs supporting the coalition government and gave this newspaper to understand that a way out could be found without a leadership change.  It became clear earlier in the day that the rebel group that claimed to have nine  members, including one from the Congress, was willing to negotiate with the government when independent MLA Vishwajeet Rane who had also resigned from the Cabinet, sent out feelers that he wanted to return to the ministry on certain conditions. The young Rane, son of Speaker Pratapsingh Rane told Deccan Herald he had been advised by his father to “stand by the government”.