Trust vote tomorrow afternoon
01 February 2005 00:20 IST Putting an end to the four-day stalemate over the ongoing political crisis in Goa, Governor S C Jamir has convened the Assembly session tomorrow, for the trust vote.
The House will assemble at 2.30 pm, taking up one-point agenda of vote of confidence.
After his government was reduced to minority, chief minister Manohar Parrikar, through a cabinet resolution, had requested the governor to convene the House on 3rd February.
On the other hand, the new alliance formed to form the alternate government, had demanded immediate dismissal of the Parrikar government, rather than the trust vote.
The governor however has stuck to his earlier stand of going for the trust vote, though the actual official decision came two days later.
The 40-member Assembly has been presently reduced to 36, with four ruling BJP legislators quitting the party. It reduced the saffron strength to mere 16, excluding the speaker.
In addition, two ministers – belonging to the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and an independent - have quit the cabinet while withdrawing their support to the BJP-led coalition government.
They have joined hands with the Congress-led United Legislature Party, which also consists of 15 Congressmen and one Nationalist Congress Party member, making it 18.
The issue of tourism minister Mathany Saldhana is still hanging fire as the minister has supported Parrikar while his United Goans Democratic Party has withdrawn support to the government.
In spite of being in minority, the chief minister has expressed confidence that he could win the trust vote.
