As God Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s health condition is deteriorating, there were reports that the BJP was likely to choose a new Chief Minister for the state and Congress MLA Digambar Kamat was expected to return back to the BJP as he is the main contender for the Chief Minister post. According to the reports, Senior Congress leader Digambar Kamat left for New Delhi on Sunday, amid speculation that he may join the ruling BJP.
But the former CM dismissed the claim, saying this is bogus news and planted by vested interests. He said that he went to Delhi for personal work, and will attend attend the Congress Legislature Party on Monday after returning on Sunday night. “I am leaving for Delhi on a business trip. It is purely personal,” Kamat had said before boarding the flight to Delhi from the Goa airport.
Congress MLA & former Goa CM Digambar Kamat to ANI: News about my entry in BJP is being planted by vested interests, it is bogus. I will return to Goa tonight & attend the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Monday. I had gone to Delhi for personal work. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/sxytHWUcLg
— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2019
Kamat has previously served as the Chief Minister of Goa from 2007 to 2012 when he was in Congress. However, prior to that he was in the BJP and had served as the Finance Minister, arguably second most senior leader of BJP in the state before leaving to the Congress.
Meanwhile, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar had accused the BJP of spreading rumours about Kamat. “This is a game plan of the BJP’s dirty tricks department which is spreading rumours to malign the image of Kamat and the Congress,” he said. “Kamat is very much in the Congress and he will continue with the party,” he added.
Earlier today, the BJP leaders had met to discuss to consider the prevailing political situation in the state as Goa Chief Minister Parrikar’s health is in critical condition. Amidst reports of the deteriorating health condition of Goa CM Manohar Parrikar, the Congress on Saturday staked claim to form the government in Goa after it asserted that the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government has lost its majority in the Assembly following the death of BJP MLA Francis D’Souza.
The Congress had emerged as the single largest party with 17 MLAs after the state elections in February 2017. However, three Congress MLAs defected to the BJP to support the Manohar Parrikar government. Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane quit the party to become a minister in Parrikar’s government. Two other Congress MLAs Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar quit the party in October last year to join the BJP who are facing a by-election along with the Lok Sabha elections bringing the BJP’s tally equal to Congress at 14 MLAs each.
