Battle for Goa begins: Amit Shah summons MLAs to Delhi

New Delhi : BJP chief Amit Shah has called for a meeting of Goa leaders at 11 am in Delhi. The meeting has been called to discuss portfolios and alliances.
Meanwhile, the Congress, which is the single-largest party with 16 MLAs, has already staked claim to form the government in the coastal state. The opposition party’s claim comes at a time when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (62) is admitted to AIIMS in Delhi for a pancreatic ailment.
The opposition Congress in Goa on Wednesday claimed that it had the support of over 21 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, giving it enough strength to form the government in the state.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar told PTI that the Congress had enough support to form the government in Goa. “We have the required numbers. I am not going to tell you whom we are in discussions with, but we need the support of 21 MLAs and we have more than that,” he said.
The Congress legislators, led by Kavlekar, had met Governor Mridula Sinha on Tuesday and demanded a floor test by the BJP-led government to prove its majority in the Assembly.
Kavlekar said his party was waiting for a response from the governor, who had assured them that she would get back on the issue in three-four days.
The state is being ruled by the BJP with the support of the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and Independent MLAs.
The BJP has 14 seats in the Assembly, the GFP and the MGP have three each and the NCP has one. There are also three Independent legislators. Kavlekar claimed the political situation in the state was in the favour of the Congress as there was a lot of “discontent” among the ruling coalition partners.