Two more disqualification petitions were filed before the Speaker on Monday morning, raising the political temperature in the tiny coastal state.
PANAJI: Hours before the Digamber Kamat-led Government takes the crucial floor test in Goa Assembly, two more disqualification petitions were filed before the Speaker on Monday morning, raising the political temperature in the tiny coastal state.
BJP, Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA)'s main constituent, filed a disqualification petition against Independent legislator Vishwajit Rane while Congress submitted a similar plea against another Independent MLA Anil Salgaoncar.
With these two petitions, the number of disqualification pleas filed with Speaker Pratapsingh Rane has gone up to five in the 40-member assembly, which will convene at 2:30 pm to take up the vote of confidence.
The other petitions are against Victoria Fernandes, who has resigned from Congress and extended support to the GDA, and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLAs Sudin Dhavalikar and Dipak Dhavalikar, who are now with the BJP-led front.
BJP filed the disqualification plea against Vishwajit Rane for issuing press statements claiming himself to be a 'Congressman'. The petition maintained that being an Independent legislator, Rane, son of Pratapsingh Rane, should not call himself a Congressman.
"His act of joining a political party without resigning from the seat should lead to disqualification," the petition contended.
The Congress, on the other hand, has filed the petition against Salgaoncar for extending support to GDA without informing the Speaker.
Salgaoncar had extended support to the Congress-led ruling coalition after the June 2 assembly polls. He along with the two-member MGP withdrew support to the 51-day-old Kamat government on Thursday, reducing it to a minority.
This led Governor SC Jamir to direct the Chief Minister to take a floor test to prove his majority.
On the other hand, GDA has claimed the support of 20 MLAs, who were paraded before President Pratibha Patil in Delhi on Saturday by the BJP to show the newly-formed alliance has adequate number to form government in the politically mercurial state.
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