Cong will form govt in Goa after state bypolls, claims Chodankar

Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar Saturday claimed his party was in touch with five MLAs of the ruling coalition and would form government in the state after the upcoming assembly bypolls in two seats -- Shiroda and Mandrem.

Talking to PTI, he said his party was in touch with five MLAs from the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition, whose support the Congress will take to form government once they pull out of the ruling dispensation.

Although dates for the by-election to two assembly seats have not been announced so far, they are likely to be held in the next couple of months.

"We have in our mind the five MLAs who would be with us to form the government after the upcoming bypolls," Chodankar said.

"In order to form the new government, the Congress would take support of these legislators once they withdraw from the current coalition government," he added.

The Congress is currently the principal opposition party in Goa Legislative Assembly with 12 MLAs.

Last year too, the opposition party had staked claim to form government in Goa.

In May 2018, the party had staked claim citing the example of Karnataka where the largest party BJP was invited to form the government after the Assembly polls threw up a fractured verdict.

The Congress had said that it had not been invited to form the government in Goa after the February 2017 Assembly polls despite it emerging as the single largest party.

In September again, it had submitted a memorandum to Governor Mridula Sinha, staking claim to form an alternative government. The move had come amid Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's hospitalisation due to his pancreatic ailment.

Congress had also moved no confidence motion against Speaker of Legislative Assembly Pramod Sawant which was quashed on technical grounds.

The by-elections to Shiroda and Mandrem assembly constituencies have been necessitated after two Congress MLAs -- Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda) and Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) -- resigned last year to join the BJP.

When asked to name the MLAs who were likely to join hands with the Congress, Chodankar said, "Those people who have trusted us, we can't sell them off. You will come to know who are in touch with us."
When asked whether the Congress will go with the MGP to form the next government, he said, "Till they are with the BJP, doors are closed. Once they withdraw the support, we will consider taking them."