India´s defence minister resigned Monday to lead the coastal state of Goa after Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s party secured enough support from minor parties to retain power in the popular tourist region.
Manohar Parrikar will be sworn in as Goa´s chief minister on Tuesday — the fourth time he has held the position in his home state — more than two years after vacating the job to join Modi´s team in New Delhi.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will take over his defence responsibilities until a replacement is appointed, a statement from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee´s office said.
Saturday´s election results showed the Bharatiya Janata Party won just 13 seats in Goa, putting it in second place behind the opposition Congress Party on 17, and leaving it eight short of the majority needed to control the 40-strong lower house.
But two regional parties, which have three members each, and two independent legislators sided with the Hindu nationalist party to give it the required 21 seats.
The move came after the BJP won a surprise absolute majority in Uttar Pradesh at the weekend, a result not seen in decades in the northern state that´s home to 220 million people and seen as a bellwether of national politics.
It also won a majority in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and despite coming second will form government in Manipur, a remote northeastern state where the BJP held zero seats before polling day.
But Congress Party accused the BJP of “stealing” the elections in Goa and Manipur, where it won the most seats but was apparently unable to secure alliances.
“Party that comes second has no right to form government,” Congress leader P Chidambaram said in a tweet. (AFP)
