Parrikar to Take Oath in Goa Today With 10 Ministers

Panaji/New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was appointed the Goa Chief Minister late on Sunday and will take oath at 5 pm on Tuesday. He has to prove majority on floor of the House on Thursday, according to an order by the Supreme Court. Parrikar, who resigned from the Union Cabinet at noon on Monday, will be sworn-in with 10 ministers.

"Governor Mridula Sinha has appointed Manohar Parrikar, the Leader of the Goa BJP legislature party, as the chief minister of Goa," Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary to Governor said in a press release.

"Parrikar has submitted evidence before Governor, the support of 13 MLAs of BJP, three MLAs of MGP, three of Goa Forward party and two Independent MLAs thus having a total strength of 21 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly," it added.

The Governor has asked Parrikar to prove majority in the Legislative Assembly session within 15 days after administration of oath of office, the note said.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said "money power had won".

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said: “The BJP is stealing elections in Goa and Manipur. A party that comes second has no right to form the government.”

Earlier on Sunday, enlisting the support of two Independents, three members each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and a lone NCP member to cobble up the rainbow coalition, the BJP members led by Parrikar called on the Governor to formally stake claim, a day after the fractured verdict in state elections.

The strength of the coalition stands exactly at 21, the majority mark.

Addressing the media on Sunday evening, Union minister and BJP’s Goa election in-charge Nitin Gadkari said, "I explained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah that deputing Parrikar back to Goa is in the interest of welfare of the state and stability of government that would be formed." He said the decision to move Parrikar to Goa has also been endorsed by the BJP Parliamentary Board.

BJP sources said Shah had requested Gadkari to travel to Goa to hold talks on government formation. Sources said Gadkari reached at midnight and held talks with Independent MLAs till 3am on Sunday. He spoke to Modi and Shah in the morning and they gave a go-ahead for Parrikar to return to Goa.

Speaking after Gadkari, Parrikar had said, "though the BJP fell short of the numbers required to form government, with the help of alliance partners, the magical figure of 21 seats is achieved. I promise that we will give stable government which will work towards the development of the state."

"I have already staked the claim to form government and I am expecting invitation from the Governor any time," he had said.

In the 40-member House, the Congress has 17 MLAs, followed by the BJP (13), MGP (3), GFP (3), NCP (1) and Independents (3).