Goa Verdict: Manohar Parrikar has 'hijacked' popular mandate: Digvijaya Singh

On a day the BJP cobbled up a coalition to stake claim to form the next government in Goa under Manohar Parrikar, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday accused the Defence Minister of “hijacking” the popular mandate.

“It is absolutely wrong on the part of the BJP to grab power when the mandate was given to the Congress by the voters (by virtue of being the single largest party),” AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said.

The BJP has won only 13 seats in the 40-member House as the poll results threw a hung Assembly with the Congress emerging as the single largest party with 17 seats. In 2012 Assembly polls the BJP had won 21 seats.

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Singh said being the single largest party, the Congress had the “first right as well as the popular mandate” to form government, which has been “hijacked by Parrikar.”

“Parrikar has brought down the morality of politics in the country. His act of indulging in horse-trading has affected the morale of Goan politicians,” he said.

Stealing a march on the Congress, the BJP today staked claim to form the next government in Goa under his leadership, with the support of two Independents, three members each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and of the lone NCP member taking the tally of the coalition to 22.

The party members led by the Defence Minister called on Governor Mridula Sinha this evening to formally stake the claim to form government.