Goa: Parrikar in hospital, Congress stakes claim to form government

The Goa faction of the Congress party has staked to form the government in the state as they feel that the administration has 'collapsed' due to the frequent hospitalisation of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The Congress, along with 14 legislators in the 40-member state Assembly, submitted a letter to Governor Mridula Sinha, urging her to invite them to form the government.

"We submitted two memoranda and requested that a situation to conduct elections within 18 months shouldn't arise. The people of the state have elected the government for five years. If the present government is not capable of functioning, we should be given a chance," the Leader of Opposition in Goa assembly, Chandrakant Kavlekar told reporters here.

"We are the single largest party; we should've been given a chance earlier itself. Looking at the present situation, it feels like there is no government. We have the numbers so we are staking the claim. The Governor will be here tomorrow. We'll make a request for the same," he added.

The Congress emerged as the largest party in a hung house in the assembly elections last year, but the Bharatiya Janata Party stitched an alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three independents to reach the magic figure of 21, required to form the government in the state.

The GFP and the independent Members of Legislative Assembly have demanded a solution to what they termed as leadership crisis, arising out of Parrikar's illness.

Parrikar, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, reached the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for further treatment on Saturday.

Earlier this year, he had flown to the United States for treatment and returned to India in June, after two-and-half months.