Goa lawmakers to march Raj Bhavan tomorrow to stake claim as “single largest party”
NEW DELHI/ PANAJI/ PATNA: Karnataka’s impact may spill over to at least four more states now, with the Congress and other opposition parties demanding that as single largest party, they be given a shot at power. The Congress is also preparing to demand the “Karnataka model” in neigbouring Goa, where it couldn’t form a government last year despite emerging as the single largest party.In Manipur, former Chief Minister Ibobi Singh is likely to meet the Governor tomorrow.
“If in Karnataka the single largest party got a chance to form government, then the governments in Goa, Bihar, Manipur and Meghalaya should resign and make way for the single largest party,” said Randeep Surjewala of the Congress.
News agency ANI on Thursday reported that party in-charge in Goa – Chella Kumar – will meet Governor along with several Congress leaders and ‘remind’ her that it is Congress which had emerged as the single-largest p
arty after elections here. It is reported that the Congress is going to argue that the political reasoning in inviting BJP to form government in Karnataka should also apply to Goa and that the current government here be dismissed.
In Goa, all 16 Congress lawmakers are planning to march to the governor’s house Raj Bhavan tomorrow to stake claim as “single largest party”.”If Karnataka Governor can invite single largest BJP to form government, why not Goa governor invite single largest Congress in Goa ? Why two criteria for two states? Why double standard? Request Her Excellency to follow big brother of Karnataka and invite Congress to rectify wrong,” tweeted Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar.
The Goa election threw up a hung verdict, with the Congress winning 17 in the 40-seat assembly and the BJP winning 13. Governor Mridula Sinha invited the BJP and its allies after they showed a combined strength that was more than the half-way mark. BJP however managed post-poll alliances to reach the majority mark and its claims were accepted by the Governor . The move was challenged by Congress in Supreme Court but it was turned down.
In the case of Karnatka, there has been a role reversal of sorts. Here, BS Yeddyurappa’s BJP managed 104 seats with Congress (78) and JDS+ (38) a distant second and third. The post-poll alliance between Congress and JDS staked claim having together crossed the majority mark but this time, Governor Vajubhai Vala turned it down. Congress has once again approached the Supreme Court but this time, from the other side of the fence.
It remains to be seen if what took place in Karnataka on Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday will have a ripple effect on other states like Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya where the political scenario was almost opposite but the eventual outcome same. In Karnataka, governor invited BJP as they are the single largest party. So we now appeal to the governor to invite us to form government,” said Yatish Naik of the Congress.
Meanwhile, RJD in Bihar too has jumped in the fray and said that the current government under Nitish Kumar should be dismissed. Tejaswhi Yadav said that since RJD was the single-largest party after elections in 2015, it should be invited to form the government – again using Karnataka as an example.
(With Agency Inputs ).
