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Goa Governor Mridula Sinha on Sunday appointed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar as the new Chief Minister of Goa.
Parrikar has been asked to prove majority on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly within "15 days after administration of oath of office and secrecy", a letter issued by Secretary to the Governor Rupesh Kumar Thakur said.
The letter said that Parrikar had submitted evidence of support of 21 MLAs before the Governor.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has 13 MLAs, is supported by three legislators each of the Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and two Independent legislators.
According to Union Minister for Roads, Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari, Parrikar will resign as Defence Minister before he takes oath of office as Goa Chief Minister.
The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP of "murdering" democracy in Goa and dubbed Parrikar a "villain" after the saffron party stole march on it.
Winning 17 seats, the Congress had on Saturday emerged as the single largest party in the Goa Assembly polls, which threw up a hung verdict.
AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh accused Parrikar of indulging in “horse trading” and "hijacking the popular mandate which was in favour of the Congress."
Singh said being the single largest party, the Congress had the "first right as well as the popular mandate" to form government, which has been "hijacked by Parrikar."
(With inputs from IANS and PTI.)
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