BJP getting ready to stake claim to form government in Goa

The BJP is likely to stake claim to form the government in Goa, hoping to sail across the majority mark with support from the smaller parties and independents.

The Goa Forward Party (GFP), however, has said it is yet to hand over any letter of support to the BJP or the Congress.

"We are staking claim to form the government... We have support of more than 21 legislators which is required to form the government," BJP state unit chief Vinay Tendulkar claimed while talking to PTI.

The newly elected BJP MLAs, who met today to explore the possibility of forming government in Goa, earlier passed a resolution urging party chief Amit Shah to nominate Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar as leader of the legislature party.

The BJP's efforts to cobble up a majority to form the government in Goa got a boost as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) said it would extend support to the saffron party if Parrikar is appointed as the chief minister.

Tendulkar said the letters of support are expected from other parties, including the Goa Forward Party (GFP).

"The MGP has already announced its support to us. We will get letter of support from GFP," he claimed.

He further claimed that the government would be formed in alliance with the MGP, the GFP and the independents.

GFP president Prabhakar Timble, however, said they are yet to hand over any letter of support to the BJP or the Congress.

"We have not given letter of support to anybody, either to the Congress or the BJP. We are not going to give the letter today," he said.

Timble said the BJP and the Congress are informally in talks with the GFP for support, but there has been no formal communication from them.

"We need a formal written proposal from the parties along with common minimum programme before deciding our stand," he said.

The BJP won 13 seats in the state polls. Besides, it has the support of a party-backed independent MLA.

Both the Congress, which won 17 seats, and the BJP are wooing the smaller parties to form government in the 40-member House, where the majority mark is 21.

The MGP, the GFP and independents have won three seats each while the NCP has bagged one seat in the state.