the goan I network
MARGAO
Will the political drama unfolding in neighbouring Karnataka have any bearing in Goa, and on the fate of the coalition government, with the Congress leading a delegation to the Governor Mridula Sinha on Friday with a plea to call the party to form the government in the state a la the Karnataka case?
While the Congress has demanded before the governor to invite the party to form the government, being the single largest party, questions are raised whether the party will cobble up the required numbers to cross the half way mark. The Congress presently has 16 MLAs in the 40-member Legislative Assembly, five short of crossing the half way mark.
Goa Forward party, which had left the Congress high and dry on March 11, 2017 by preferring to align with the BJP to form the coalition government under Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, seemed to be not at all enthused by the Congress’ claim on the formation of the government. Goa Forward party supremo even went to the extent of saying that the Congress does not even have the same numbers they had started with on March 11, 2017 when the election results were declared by the election authorities.
“Just because it rained in Bengaluru, it’s not going to rain in Goa,” Vijai Sardesai told The Goan when asked whether the claim made by the Congress before the Governor will bring about political realignment in Goa.
He reminded the Congress party leaders that Karnataka MLAs cannot vote in Goa, saying that the Congress party, if it harbours any hope of forming the government in Goa, needs the support of the MLAs of Goa. “Karnataka MLAs can’t vote in Goa, you need Goa MLAs. They don’t even have the same numbers they started off with,” he told The Goan
Terming the political drama unfolding in the state as nothing but a PR circus, the TCP Minister made it abundantly clear that the PR circus that has begun because of Karnataka happenings, will have no bearing on Goa and its politics. “It’s not even worth the time commenting on the demand made by the Congress party before the governor,” Sardesai said.
Interestingly, the Congress party had failed to garner support of the Goa Forward Party on March 11, when the results of the Goa Assembly election were out by the evening. Though then Congress AICC general secretary Digvijai Singh had rushed to Sardesai’s flat at Panjim along with other Congress leaders, seeking the support of the three-member Goa Forward party, Sardesai later joined hands with the BJP and other regional players to form the coalition government on grounds the Congress had failed to resolve the leadership issue.
