BJPs Goa MLAs call on President Patil

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will parade 21 Goa MLAs supporting it in the 40-member State Assembly before President Pratibha Patil here today, to prove majority in the House.

New Delhi, July 28 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will parade 21 Goa MLAs supporting it in the 40-member State Assembly before President Pratibha Patil here today, to prove majority in the House.

All the 21 MLAs have arrived here today.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh would lead a delegation of 21 MLAs of the BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA).

Rajnath Singh has also sought Central intervention to guard against any horse-trading attempt for power in Goa.

On Friday, BJP leader and former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar called on Governor S.C. Jamir in Panaji and staked claim to form government.

"I have given the photographs of all the MLAs. We would be producing them before the President, we have paraded them ten times before the press," Parrikar had told reporters in Panaji.

The BJP believes the Goa Assembly Speaker Pratapsinh Rane has acted "unconstitutionally" by adjourning the House till Monday as the GDA sought to prove its majority on the Floor of the House.

"Adjourning the House till Monday was uncalled for. The BJP should have been allowed an opportunity to prove its majority," Singh had said.

Singh suspected that "the Congress could do some conspiracy in Goa, given what it did in Bihar and Jharkhand".

Meanwhile, according to some reports, Congress is mulling over the possibility of filing disqualification petition against MGP legislators -- Sudin Dhavalikar and Deepak Dhavalikar, who withdrew support to the Congress-led government and joined BJP led formation.

If the Dhavalikars are disqualified, the BJP-led alliance will be reduced to 18. The Congress has 19 legislators - 16 Congress, 3 NCP - on its side, including the Speaker. The Speaker can vote in case of a draw.

ANI