Cong team meets Goa Guv; seek special assembly session

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha sought some more time to respond to Congress petition for a special session of the state assembly for the BJP government to seek a trust vote, as political uncertainty gripped the coastal state with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar convalescing at a Delhi hospital.

Making a fresh bid for power, a delegation of Congress leaders met the governor at Raj Bhawan in Panaji on Tuesday evening and pressed for its demand, a day after it had staked claim to form a government.

“We have demanded convening of a one-day session of the assembly,” Congress Legislature Party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar told DH from Panaji. Kavlekar said the Governor assured them that she would get back on the issue in the next three-four days.

The Governor is also learnt to have assured the Congress delegation that there would be no President's Rule or dissolution of the state assembly.

Meanwhile, BJP President Amit Shah also got into action by reaching out to Goa ally Vijay Sardesai who heads the Goa Forward Party. It is learnt that the BJP top leadership was willing to appoint a deputy chief minister but the idea was not acceptable to the allies – both GFP and MGP which have three MLAs each in the state assembly.

The Congress is the single-largest party in the Goa assembly with 16 seats.

The BJP has 14 seats and has the support of six MLAs – three each of the GFP and the MGP, besides three Independent legislators. NCP MLA Churchill Alemao, too, had voted in favour of the BJP government.

The Congress delegation had staked claim to form the government and submitted a memorandum at the Raj Bhawan on Monday as the Governor was out of station.