Manohar Parrikar urges Amit Shah to appoint new Goa Chief Minister; central BJP leaders to visit: LIVE UPDATES Here

Update at 13:57 PM: PM Modi to go to AIIMS to visit Manohar Parrikar

Update at 11:06 AM: Goa CM will reach AIIMS, Delhi at 1 pm on Saturday. Amit Shah & PM Modi are monitoring the situation in Goa. Portfolios that were with CM will be distributed among ministers so that administration runs smoothly. Parrikar ji will continue to serve as CM: Michael Lobo, Dy Speaker Goa Assembly

Update at 10:38 AM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweets:

 

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Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has spoken to BJP party president Amit Shah and urged him to choose another CM for the western state in light of his (Parrikar's) ongoing health issues, Republic TV has learnt.

Parrikar, who has been to the US on multiple occasions, once for a stint of 2.5 months, to seek treatment for his ailment, last returned to India on September 6 but has been once again admitted to a hospital. He has, however, been holding meetings from hospital and had even stepped out to pay a short visit to his ancestral home in Parra for Ganesh Chaturthi.

In response to Parrikar's conversation with Amit Shah, the BJP is set to send central leaders to Goa on Saturday, including party national general secretary Ram Lal. 

The developments in Goa come less than two weeks since the Congress party in the state politicised Parrikar's health and sought President's rule. Congress leaders had earlier demanded a new Chief Minister's appointment as well.

Addressing a news briefing over this demand, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar had said:

“We have been requesting the Chief Minister to disclose the nature of his ailment and the time that may be required for his recuperation. And, above all, during his absence to appoint a second-in-command. Unfortunately, all our requests have fallen on deaf ears”.

At that time, Chodankar had also cited three other ministers falling ill:

“For the last 6 months, the political situation is in turmoil, is chaotic. Adding to the ailment of the CM, three more ministers have also fallen ill, and their sickness also doesn’t appear to be normal sickness. And, if you look at their portfolios, 80% of the budgetary allocation is being handled by these two ministers”.

He claimed that the Congress couldn't "sit idle and watch the helplessness of the people in Goa, and hence, had written to the Goa Governor Mridula Sinha:

"Therefore, today we have sent a mail to the Governor, requesting for an immediate appointment of her excellency, so that once again we can apprise her about the prevailing situation and prevail upon her to act as per the mandate of Constitution of India."

Manohar Parrikar had been appointed Goa Chief Minister, in part, owing to to-be alliance partners' demands. The Congress had actually emerged the single-largest party in the 2017 Goa elections with 17 of 40 seats, while the BJP had won 13. However, with Parrikar demitting the office of Defence Minister and returning to be Chief Minister, the BJP was able to muster sufficient support to form a government in the state.