Amid search for Parrikar's successor, Congress stakes claim to form government

The political uncertainty in Goa intensified on Monday as the Congress staked claim to form the government, even as the ruling BJP-led coalition searched for a replacement for ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar met officials at Raj Bhavan and submitted a letter signed by all 16 Congress MLAs. The party urged Governor Mridula Sinha not to dissolve the state Assembly or call for fresh elections.

The Congress, which is the single largest party in the 40-member Assembly, argued that it should instead be given an opportunity to form the government.

“We have requested the Governor that the government should not be dissolved and put the state on the path of elections. We have also asked her not to impose President's Rule or keep the House in suspended animation,” Kavlekar said.

He argued that the legislators had been elected for a five-year term and that holding another election after only about 18 months would not be in the interest of the state.

Governor Sinha was not in Goa on Monday and was expected to return on Tuesday.

The Congress move comes amid heightened uncertainty within the ruling coalition following Parrikar's transfer to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Parrikar has been undergoing treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer for several months.

BJP central observers were in Goa on Monday, holding discussions with party leaders and coalition partners to identify a possible successor to Parrikar and assess the stability of the ruling alliance.

Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar had also written to the Governor the previous week, cautioning against dissolving the Assembly and seeking an opportunity for the Congress to form the government.

The Congress has 16 MLAs in the Assembly, compared with 14 belonging to the BJP. The ruling coalition is supported by three MLAs each from the Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, along with one Nationalist Congress Party legislator and three Independents.

The numbers have become more complicated because of the health conditions of several BJP legislators.

Apart from Parrikar's illness, Urban Development Minister Francis D'Souza is undergoing cancer treatment in New York, while Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar, who suffered a brain stroke several months ago, remains bedridden at his residence near Panaji.

The BJP-led alliance now faces the challenge of maintaining its majority while finding a political successor to Parrikar. At the same time, the Congress is seeking to use its position as the single largest party to return to power without a fresh election.

The Governor's decision after her return to the state is therefore expected to play a crucial role in determining the next political course in Goa.