Team Herald
NEW DELHI/PANJIM: Bharatiya Janata Party is understood to have on Thursday decided to go in for a deputy chief minister in Goa instead of any acting CM to resolve the leadership crisis created from the failing health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The party leadership felt this strategy will also stem the imminent revolt threatened by the allies and Independents due to the machinations of the Congress to capture power, taking advantage of Parrikar’s illness.
The leadership noted that a new chief minister or even an acting chief minister will require the person to seek a confidence vote and that will mean getting into the trap of the Congress, which has already petitioned the State Governor for a confidence vote.
The hunt is on now to pick up one of the 10 BJP MLAs as deputy chief minister. The exercise is to be completed by Sunday before the inauspicious period of ‘Pitra Paksh’, BJP sources said. Though BJP has 14 MLAs, three are out of
reckoning for being in hospitals.
The choice may fall between Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant and Rajesh Patnekar, the only MLA having the highest third term in the Assembly. Four BJP MLAs are first-timers and the remaining having only two terms. The party may, however, send one or two observers as a formality to elicit views of the MLAs of both BJP and the allies before naming the deputy CM, sources said. Parrikar’s consent will be obtained before the final decision, they said.
In view of the two coalition partners, Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), opposing leaders of each other running the government show by heading a 3-member coordination committee constituted during earlier Parrikar’s trip to the United States for treatment, the BJP leadership decided to have even the deputy CM only from within the BJP.
The BJP does not even have to call a meeting of the legislature party as a simple letter from Parrikar to the Governor naming one as the deputy CM will suffice and he automatically assumes all responsibilities in the absence of the chief minister.
Speaking to Herald, BJP State president Vinay Tendulkar said he isn’t aware of any such developments but said that a solution would be out as soon as possible. “We have brought it to the notice of our BJP president Amit Shah about the current political situation in the State,” Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar, however, rejected rumours of his names being discussed for the coveted post. “There were no talks on leadership change,” he said, adding that all three MPs from Goa were present for the meeting.
However, sources in the BJP core committee suggested that the Dy CM is the best solution for now but refused to reveal the names they proposed to the high command.
