Congress and RJD meet governors, want Karnataka model in Goa, Manipur and Bihar

The Congress on Friday asked the governors of Goa and Manipur to allow it to form governments in the two states, citing the example of Karnataka where BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa was invited to take over as chief minister because he heads the largest party in the assembly after elections. In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal met the governor and staked claim to govern the state.

Congress legislative party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar gave Goa Governor Mridula Sinha a letter seeking an invitation to the party to prove its majority in the House. Sixteen Congress legislators met the governor--one party lawmaker is travelling abroad and another is hospitalised.

“We requested the governor to follow the precedent of Karnataka and undo the mistake she had committed on March 12, 2017 when she invited the minority party (BJP) to form the government,” Kavlekar was quoted by PTI as saying. “We have given a time of seven days to revert to us on our request.”

“We have all the required numbers with us to form the government in the state. We can prove our numbers on the floor of the House. The magic figure of 21 is there with Congress... even without poaching into BJP camp,” said Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief Girish Chodankar.

The Congress won 17 seats in the 40-member Goa assembly and emerged as the largest party in Goa elections in March 2017, falling short of the majority figure by four seats. The BJP, which got 14 seats, formed the government in alliance with the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which had won three seats each. Three Independent MLAs supported the BJP too.

The Congress now has 16 members in the Goa Assembly as one of its legislators, Vishwajeet Rane, joined the BJP last year. Rane later won the Valpoi Assembly by-election as a BJP candidate.

A Congress delegation met Manipur’s acting governor Jagdish Mukhi and staked claim to form government in state. In March 2017, a BJP-led coalition was to form Manipur’s government and not the Congress, which was the single-largest party.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leaders met Governor Satyapal Malik in Patna to stake claim to govern the state. The RJD fought the elections in alliance with Janata Dal (United) or JD (U) and the Congress, emerging as the single largest party. In July 2017, JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar broke the alliance and tied up with the BJP to continue as chief minister.

(With PTI inputs)