Goa govt on verge of collapse | Reporter's Blog - Politics News

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New Delhi: The Congress-led government in Goa is in crisis after the Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP) withdrew its support and five MLAs resigned early Thursday.

Chief Minister Digamber Kamat’s two-month old government was reduced to a minority after two MLAs each from the Congress and the MGP and an Independent MLA resigned, reducing their strength to just 17 in a 40-strong assembly.

The Congress-NCP government had a wafer-thin support of 23 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly. The Congress had 16 MLAs and the NCP three MLAs.

Two Independents and two MGP MLAs supported the government. The government has now the support of just 16 MLAs.

A new political alliance led by the BJP and supported by the Maharashtra Gomantak Party, Save Goa Front, United Goans Democratic Party and an Independent MLA will stake the claim to form the next government. The BJP has 14 MLAs in the Assembly.

Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao and Victoria Fernandes are the Congress MLAs who have resigned from the government.

Vishwajit Rane, the Independant MLA who has resigned, is Speaker Pratapsinh Rane’s son and is expected to give support for the BJP.

BJP's Manohar Parrikar, currently opposition leader and a former chief minister, is heading the coalition.

"Ultimately you have to deliver to the people. This would not have happened if the Congress had performed in the last 50 days. Earlier Babush and Save Goa had expressed support to the Congress. Even today there was chaos in the assembly. They dint know who had the Women's and children portfolio. There is no direction," said Parrikar.

However, Chief Minister Kamat insists that the Congress still has the support of the Majority. It has not even been two months since Kamat took over as Chief Minister on June 8.

But the numbers are now tipped in favour of the BJP alliance, which has 21 MLAs.

<table width="248" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="2"> <tr bgcolor="#AE111D"> <td height="20" valign="middle" bgcolor="#DB1524"><div align="center"><strong class="Wtext11">GOA'S CHOPPY HISTORY</strong></div></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#e7e7e7"> <td width="248" height="20" valign="middle" class="Btext11 pLeft10"><img src="/pix/common/bullet.gif" width="7" height="7" alt="bullet" />Defections and collapse of governments are regular features in Goa politics. Goa used to have a stable government till 1990. For the first time in 1990, Churchil Alemao (the then deputy speaker) and Louis Proto Barbosa (the then Speaker) put an end to the Congress CM Pratap Singh Rane's long rule in Goa in a midnight coup.</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#e7e7e7"> <td width="248" height="20" valign="middle" class="Btext11 pLeft10"><img src="/pix/common/bullet.gif" width="7" height="7" alt="bullet" />The state has seen 14 governments in the last 17 years.</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#e7e7e7"> <td width="248" height="20" valign="middle" class="Btext11 pLeft10"><img src="/pix/common/bullet.gif" width="7" height="7" alt="bullet" /> The BJP's Manohar Parrikar formed BJP government by toppling the Congress Govt in 2000. He won 2002 Assembly polls. But the Congress toppled his Government in 2004 by engineering defections. The same Digambar Kamat, who was number two in the Parrikar govt was the main defector.</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#e7e7e7"> <td width="248" height="20" valign="middle" class="Btext11 pLeft10"><img src="/pix/common/bullet.gif" width="7" height="7" alt="bullet" />Parrikar is now trying to hit back at his one time trusted friend turned foe Digambar Kamat by engineering a midnight coup. All eyes are now on the Governor S C Jamir, who is a Congress man.</td> </tr></table>

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#Goa Government #Digamber Kamat #Congress #NCP #MGP #BJP