Opposition for ‘Karnataka model’ in Goa, Bihar, Manipur

New Delhi: The BJP’s decision to change its earlier theory of “largest formation” to “single largest party” to be allowed to form a government in a hung Assembly has come back to bite the party. The saffron party’s move to justify the formation of the government in Karnataka has triggered a domino effect, with the Congress and RJD now demanding that the governors of Goa, Manipur and Bihar should invite them to stake claim to forming the government in these states as they were the single-largest parties in the last Assembly polls there.

In its rush to stall the Congress-JD(S) combine and form the government in Karnataka, the BJP had changed its stance from “largest formation” to “single largest party”. It may be recalled that as the Congress cried foul in Goa when the BJP struck a post-poll alliance with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gom-antak Party (MGP) to form the government, finance minister Arun Jaitley had gone on record saying: “In a hung Assembly, if a majority of the elected MLAs form a coalition, the governor would be constitutionally right in inviting the leader of the majority coalition to form the government and prove their majority within a short period.”

As the BJP shifted the goalpost, the Congress announced that it would be meeting Goa governor Mridula Sinha on Friday to ask her to invite the party to stake claim to forming the government. Similarly, in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also asked Bihar governor Satya Pal Malik to invite his party to form a government in the state. During Goa’s 2017 Assembly election, the Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 21 seats in the 40-seat Assembly, while the BJP came from behind and through a post-poll alliance ended up forming the government. In Bihar, the RJD was the single-largest party with 80 seats in the 243-seat Assembly in the 2015 election, but it ended up in the

Opposition after it broke off with chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).

PTI reports said the Congress’ Goa in-charge Chella Kumar along with “more” leaders would be meeting the Goa governor to ask her to invite their party to form the government. The party is also planning to parade its 17 MLAs at Raj Bhavan.

The Congress has also staked its claim to forming the government in Manipur on Thursday. “We are seeking an appointment with the governor and will definitely go to Raj Bhavan on Friday and stake claim to forming the government,” Mr Okram Ibobi Singh, former Manipur chief minister, told the media.

In Patna, Mr Tejashwi Yadav told reporters: “We would be holding a one-day dharna tomorrow against the murder of democracy in Karnataka. We also request the Bihar governor to dismiss the state government and, as in Karnataka, invite the single largest party, which in Bihar is the RJD, to form the government.”