Manohar Parrikar appointed as Goa chief minister; asked to prove majority within 15 days

Parrikar told reporters that his party has completed the magic figure of 21 although it fell short of majority.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar ​was on Sunday appointed as chief minister of Goa by Governor Mridula Sinha after the BJP with support from smaller parties staked claim to form the next government in the southern coastal state.

The governor has asked him to prove majority within 15 days of his taking oath.

Parrikar is now set to resign from his current post to pave way for the next role as Goa chief minister.

The news comes amid hectic parleys among political parties to install a new government in Goa.

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP) had pledged support to BJP on condition that Parrikar returns as chief minister.

Parrikar along with the representatives of the coalition parties had met the governor to stake claim to form the next government.

Union minister and BJP Goa in-charge Nitin Gadkari and caretaker Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar also accompanied the delegation.

The BJP, which won 13 seats, has the backing of MGP, GPF, NCP and two independents, taking the tally of the coalition to 22.

MGP and GPF have bagged three seats each while NCP has bagged one in the 40-member assembly.

After the meeting, Parrikar told reporters that his party has completed the magic figure of 21 even though it fell short of a majority in the polls.

Gadkari said that both MGP and GFP will back BJP if Parrikar returns as CM.

He told reporters that Parrikar will resign before taking oath as chief minister.

"We will form a stable government under Manohar Parrikar. Our party President Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have congratulated supporting parties," Gadkari said.

He also said that the discussions with the other MLAs were on since 1 a.m. on Sunday morning and most of the issues and differences had been cleared.

"We wanted to clear issues for long term. All should work together," Gadkari said.

Parrikar, a former Goa Chief Minister, was elevated to the Defence Ministry in 2014.

The decision was apparently taken at a BJP Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon.

Parrikar's tenure as defence minister was marked by fast-paced decision-making as the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared a range of projects and military purchases. He had also pushed for a number of stalled acquisition projects.

While the Congress (17) and BJP have accounted for a bulk of the seats, both parties were wooing smaller parties to form a coalition government.

GFP leader Vijai Sardesai told media persons they are extending support to the BJP to provide stable government in the coastal state.

"We are supporting BJP to have stability in the government. We don't want development of the state to hinder due to instability," PTI quoted him as saying.

The MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar said his party has supported the BJP on the condition that only Parrikar heads the state government.

"We have given the letter of support to the BJP only because of Parrikar. Without him, we would not have supported the BJP to form the next government," he said, reports PTI.