Hung verdict in Goa? Parties rush to close ranks, Cong, BJP woo MGP

Panaji: Ahead of counting of votes, Goa witnessed hectic political activities on Tuesday as parties got down to formulating their strategies keeping in mind possible post-poll scenarios.

Goa’s oldest regional outfit MGP remained in focus as it was being wooed by the BJP as well as the Congress, the two main contenders of power in the tiny coastal state which has a history of political volatility and shifting of loyalties. For the record, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress expressed confidence about getting a clear majority in the 40-member assembly, for which polls were held on February 14 and votes will be counted on March 10, but their political managers were busy readying their strategies to avoid any slip-ups in their quest for power.

A day after the exit polls predicted a hung Assembly in Goa, the Congress focused on keeping its flock together and plans to shift all its candidates to a resort, a senior party leader said. On the other side, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, while other senior Goa BJP leaders are planning to meet their state poll in-charge Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said talks were on between leaders of his party and other opposition outfits in Goa ahead of counting of votes to stitch an anti-BJP alliance.

“We are confident that the people of Goa have given us a clear, simple majority. I am more confident today than I was, say last week, because I have spoken to every candidate,” Chidambaram said. “We are willing to work with the other parties,” said the former Union minister, who is All India Congress Committee’s election observer for Goa. “Our goal is to forge a non-BJP front and such efforts are going on in other parts of India.

Why not make the same effort in Goa?” he said. The Congress veteran’s remarks came amid reports that his party leaders were in talks with their AAP and TMC counterparts. Chief Minister Sawant said the central BJP leadership is already in talks with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) to seek its support if the saffron outfit falls short of a few seats to form the next government.

Talking to PTI, Sawant said the BJP is hopeful of getting more than 22 seats (as against the majority mark of 21), but if it falls short of numbers, “the party has also kept open the option of seeking the support of independents and the MGP”.

A senior Goa BJP leader said they have designed a “fool-proof strategy” to ensure the party retains power in the coastal state. He said Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade and party’s state general secretary Satish Dhond will meet Goa poll in-charge Devendra Fadanavis.

Fadnavis and BJP’s Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi would reach Goa on Wednesday, a day ahead of the counting.“We will not waste any time to decide our leader and stake claim to form the government,” another BJP leader said. (PTI)