Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar addressing a press conference in Panaji
Gomantak Times
Amid speculation of a hung Assembly in Goa, hectic political activities have begun in the state with the Congress focusing on keeping its flock together and plans to shift all its candidates to a resort, a senior party leader said on Tuesday.
Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has left for Goa on Tuesday evening to handle the situation in case of a hung assembly in the state.
"You will see what happenes in Goa on March 10," he told reporters on Tuesday before rushing to the coastal state.
"I have been instructed to go to Goa by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and I am going. The party has given me a responsibility. I will go to Goa as a party worker," he said.
Shivakumar is going to camp in Goa till the new government is formed. Sources close to Shivakumar said that he will put in maximum efforts to install a Congress government in Goa, as he is eyeing the post of Chief Minister in Karnataka after the assembly elections in 2023. "This is an opportunity for Shivakumar to impress the high command, which will take him one step closer to the coveted post."
Dinesh Gundu Rao, former Karnataka Minister who is in-charge of AICC Goa desk, has said if his party falls short of majority mark of 21 seats, it will seek the support from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) to form the government.
Shivakumar played a key role in installing the Congress-JD (S) coalition government even as BJP emerged as the single-largest party in Karnataka. He has come to the rescue of the party whenever its government is threatened in Maharashtra. He hosted Congress MLAs in a resort much to the chagrin of the BJP.