Congress claims it will form govt in Goa after upcoming Assembly bypolls; Girish Chodankar says party in talks with coalition MLAs

Panaji: Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Saturday said that his party is in talks with five MLAs from the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar-led coalition and will soon, with their support, form the government in the state. [caption id=“attachment_4907401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar, Twitter/@girishgoa[/caption] Chodankar told ANI that once the MLAs of the ruling coalition withdraw their support and the upcoming assembly by-polls in Shiroda and Mandrem are over, the Congress will proceed towards forming the government. Last year too, the Congress claimed to form the government in Goa citing the example of Karnataka, where the BJP was invited to form the government after the state polls failed to give a clear verdict. “Congress would form the government in the state after the upcoming assembly by-polls in two seats. We are in touch with five MLAs of the ruling coalition. And with their support the Congress will form the government once they pull out of the ruling dispensation,” Chodankar said. Dates for the by-election have not been announced yet, but are likely to be held in the next couple of months. The Congress with 12 MLAs is the principal opposition party in the state Assembly. The Congress had also submitted a memorandum to Governor Mridula Sinha, staking claim to form an alternative government at a time when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was undergoing treatment for his pancreatic ailment.