the goan I network
PANAJI
Wednesday’s development in which 10 Congress MLAs split and merged with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will give Goa a government with a power-packed two-third’s majority in the legislature after nearly 40 years.
The previous time that the treasury benches enjoyed such brute majority on the floor of the legislature was ironically when the Congress captured power for the first time in Goa following the 1979-80 election.
In the 30-member House of the then Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, the Congress had won 20 seats, the ousted MGP seven and three Independents. But five MGP MLAs and the three Independents merged with the Congress, taking the Pratapsing Rane-led government’s strength to 28 and leaving the MGP’s Ramakant Khalap and Babuso Gaonkar duo to occupy the Opposition benches.
Fast forward to 2019, and a similar configuration has returned to haunt the Opposition in the House after 40 years.
The Opposition benches as of today has just seven occupants in the House of 40 - five of the Congress and one each of the MGP and NCP.
