AERIAL VIEW
It’s not just BJP; the Congress too will have to make a decisive call on who would be the next CM – Digambar Kamat or Michael Lobo.
As the counting dates draw closer, it seems like former minister Michael Lobo is emerging as a threat to Digambar Kamat’s ambition of becoming the next chief minister. While the Congress leaders – Girish Chodankar, Kamat and Dinesh Gundu Rao were caught napping, Lobo has taken on his own to start negotiations with the independent MLAs and like-minded parties.
Interestingly, Lobo has made no bones of his aspirations of becoming the Chief Minister.
Not only discussions, but Lobo also went all the way to Delhi to talk to AICC leaders in Delhi to discuss government formation.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
Even before the results are declared and which party would form the next government, there is a keen interest in Goa over who will be the next Chief Minister of the State.
Yes, Goa feels it has had enough of bhivpachi garaz na and dile gele vaitale, and now wants a new CM rather than anything else. Emotions of every Goan was visible mostly on social media wherein the incumbent Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, had become a subject of memes. But the BJP has so far continued its faith in him.
Amidst all this, the CM himself is facing a tough battle to win from the Sanquelim constituency wherein Congress’ Dharmesh Saglani has posed a strong challenge.
With uncertainty looming large over Sawant’s election, many within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have projected themselves as the next option.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, always eying the chair, is a strong contender, while Dy CM Babu Kavlekar has just thrown his hat in the ring in a typical Pushpa-style (new Allu Arjun movie), saying, “Babu naam sun ke baccha samjha hai kya? Baccha Nahi CM hai hum…
So now, if BJP has the numbers and is set to form the next government, the party will still have difficulty in choosing, it seems. Despite Sawant being named the CM candidate, it is unlikely he would be continued, given the people’s sentiments. Shripad Naik, Dayanand Mandrekar, Laxmikant Parsekar are senior leaders and considering the outrage within the BJP camp, the party will have to make a decisive call.
It’s not just BJP; the Congress too will have to make a decisive call on who would be the next CM – Digambar Kamat or Michael Lobo.
As the counting dates draw closer, it seems like former minister Michael Lobo is emerging as a threat to Digambar Kamat’s ambition of becoming the next chief minister. While the Congress leaders – Girish Chodankar, Kamat and Dinesh Gundu Rao were caught napping, Lobo has taken on his own to start negotiations with the independent MLAs and like-minded parties.
Interestingly, Lobo has made no bones of his aspirations of becoming the Chief Minister.
Not only discussions, but Lobo also went all the way to Delhi to talk to AICC leaders in Delhi to discuss government formation.
Shocked by this development, the very next day, Kamat, Chodankar and Gundu Rao rushed to Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi and discuss the formation.
As the D-Day approaches, it is quite clear that no single party will get a majority on its own, and as such, it would be a fractured mandate yet again, and the two largest parties – Congress and BJP will have to take support to reach the magic figure of 21.
But wait, the story is not over yet; while TMC does not seem to be in a position of opening an account in Goa, their alliance partner MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar now seems to be aspiring to become the next CM of Goa.
Dhavalikar has made it clear that he would support the party, which will make him CM for the next 2.5 years.
So it is not the results on Match 10 itself but how the two parties are ready to negotiate with the smaller groups and independents that would decide the next government and CM.
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