Parrikar stays as Goa CM: Shah

New Delhi, September 23

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will continue in his post, BJP president Amit Shah said today as he announced that a reshuffle of the state’s ministers would take place soon. The BJP chief said so in a tweet following a discussion with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s core group team from Goa.

“It has been decided during a discussion with the Goa BJP core team that Manohar Parrikar will continue to lead the Goa Government. There will soon be a reshuffle of ministers and their portfolios,” he said.

Parrikar’s poor health has sparked speculation over his continuation as the Chief Minister of Goa, and Shah had recently sent a team of central party leaders to the coastal state to speak to the allies and take stock of the political situation there.

The Opposition Congress, which is the single-largest party in the state, has staked claim to form the government. The BJP has asserted that its government continues to have the support of a majority of MLAs. Parrikar is undergoing treatment for pancreatic ailment at AIIMS.

The reshuffle of ministers will be aimed at consolidating support for the BJP-led alliance government as the Congress is looking for signs of discontent to topple the state government. In the 40-member state Assembly, the Parrikar-led government has the support of 23 MLAs.

The BJP has 14 MLAs against 16 of the Congress, and Parrikar’s appeal was a key reason behind its success in securing support from a cross-section of legislators following last year elections.

Choosing a replacement for Parrikar, if such a need arises, will be tricky for the BJP, political watchers believe. — PTI