PANJIM: The leadership crisis in the BJP camp, a day after the poll results were declared, clearly indicates its total dependence on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Bringing him back to State politics was the agenda on Sunday as this would decide which way the regional parties and other smaller parties besides Independents would swing. By the end of the day they had succeeded and Parrikar was anointed the BJP leader in the Assembly and had staked claim to form the next government.
The eve of Holi started with BJP lobbying with non-Congress MLAs-elect in a bid to seek support to form the government. At around 11am, the party held a meeting of its MLAs-elect wherein 12 of the 13 unanimously resolved to convey to the party leadership in Delhi that they want Parrikar as the chief minister. The marathon meeting, was attended by Parrikar, AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik and MP Narendra Sawaikar, but saw the absence of Milind Naik who lost his brother on Saturday.
Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) that had broken ties with the Laxmikant Parsekar-led government on a bitter note a little before the polls backed BJP’s resolution.
Party sources told Herald that had Parrikar been sent back to Goa to contest the polls the party would have got a clear mandate like it did in 2012. “His re-entry in State politics before the polls and projection as CM candidate, would have given BJP advantage. In his absence, the State voted on the individual’s merits rather than the party as a unit,” one of the newly-elected MLAs told Herald after the party meeting around noon on Sunday.
Michael Lobo, who has been in the forefront demanding Parrikar’s retrun, said the MLAs have unanimously decided that they want Parrikar as the leader. “People of Goa want him back. We are appealing to Goa Forward and MGP, and Independents to support a stable government. Whatever will be the demands of both the parties, it is mainly development,” Lobo said.
Nilesh Cabral, who retained the Curchorem seat endorsed this view saying the even the minority leaders in the BJP have appealed to the smaller parties to form a stable government for the sake of development. “We want development to continue in the State and at the same pace as in the last term,” he added.
