The next chief minister of Goa is expected to be elected at the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, which meets in Panaji again on Thursday.
Senior Congress leaders Sushilkumar Shinde, RK Dhawan and Margaret Alva, who were appointed as central observers for the meeting, have left Delhi to attend the meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Congress General Secretary Alva, who is incharge of party affairs in Goa, had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday night and apprised her of the developments in the state after the Congress-NCP combine emerged as the single largest group in the 40-member assembly.
Incumbent Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane and Goa Congress chief Ravi Naik are prime contenders for the top post and the CLP, in its meeting on Tuesday, had authorised Gandhi to choose the next chief minister of the state.
Alva was in Panaji after the declaration of poll results on Tuesday to elicit the views of the party MLAs on the leadership issue, returned to Delhi on Wednesday evening for consultations with Gandhi.
Congress, which has bagged 16 seats and its pre-poll ally NCP three in the assembly polls, received letters of support from two independent MLAs - Chief Minister Rane's son Vishwajeet and Anil Salgoacar -- and two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
With this, the alliance's strength has gone up to 23, two more than the number needed for a simple majority.
{{/usCountry}}With this, the alliance's strength has gone up to 23, two more than the number needed for a simple majority.
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