TIL Desk/National/Goa/ Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar wins the floor test with the support of 22 MLAs. The BJP along with its 13 elected members have the support of members of the regional parties — Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (3) and Goa Forward Party (3) — and the thee Independents taking the tally to 22 to attain the magic figure in the 40-member House.
Parrikar was the first to arrive this morning at the state assembly to seek a vote of confidence to prove that he has majority support. He said he was confident he has done everything to ensure that at least 21 of the state’s 40 legislators will back him today. As each of the new allies reconfirmed support to Parrikar this morning, Congress sources said the party has given up trying to pull apart the coalition that the BJP has constructed.
The Congress filed a plea on Monday to stay the swearing-in ceremony – scheduled for Tuesday – and order a floor test. It alleged the BJP was “bribing opposition MLAs)” to support it to form the government. The top court allowed the swearing in to go ahead and scheduled the floor test for today. “We have proved before the people of India, we had support…and we proved it on the floor of house. Everyone voluntarily came and voted, none of them were kept in a hotel room or secluded commonplace as was the case of opposition,” Parrikar told the media after the floor test.
“Wild allegations being made, those with coloured glasses make those allegations,”he added, about the Congress party’s allegations. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi this morning again alleged the “BJP is stealing the (Goa) government)”. “In Manipur and Goa, the BJP has used money to steal the government (from the Congress),” Rahul said in Chandigarh. He was speaking to the media after the swearing in of Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief minister.