He was also the second in Goa who died while still in office.
"By next week, the government will work out the exact arrangement through which the work burden on Parrikar could be reduced," he said.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is tipped to become the Union defence minister, on Saturday tendered his resignation from the post paving way for the appointment of his successor in the state.
Political parties were bracing for the assembly election results on Thursday in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and politically volatile Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, sending out feelers for possible post-poll tie-ups.
With this, the Congress's strength in the 40-member assembly reduced to 14 from 16.
With just over a month to go for assembly elections in Goa, political observers feel the Congress may upset the Bharatiya Janata Party's plans for retaining power in the coastal state, but appear less enthused about the Trinamool Congress, whose entry has added colour to the poll campaign.
The government is functioning 'very well' and all the alliance partners are firmly supporting Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment at Delhi's AIIMS, the BJP leader asserted.
Parrikar was first elected to the Goa assembly in 1994. He served as he leader of the opposition from June to November 1999.
We want to make a non-BJP political front in this country, Raut said.
'This is a new Congress. Let the BJP be warned.'
The Aam Aadmi Party, which entered the fray with much fanfare, failed to make any impact at the hustings.
In both the states where the Bharatiya Janata Party came second is trying to turn the tables on the Congress to form the government.
The TMC, which is keen to leave a mark in its outing in Goa, had suggested a broad alliance but not much has moved on the proposal due to competing interests and apparent lack of faith between the opposition parties.
In 2012, Parsekar had shown his movable and immovable assets at Rs 10.74 crore which now stand at Rs 8.98 crores.
Sawant on Tuesday said his government had sought a floor test on Wednesday to prove its strength in the assembly.
Chidambaram, who is the Congress' senior election observer for the assembly polls next year, asserted that the Trinamool Congress' entry into Goa "appears to be an imposition from the top that is based in West Bengal" and said he does not know the Mamata Banerjee-led party's motive in trying to start a unit in Goa by "encouraging defections" from other parties.
'The BJP has proved that it is a threat to all its allies'
Both the BJP and the Congress said they will seek support of the MGP in case they fall short of the majority mark of 21.
'If the charge is not given immediately, we will contest all upcoming elections, that is (Assembly) by-election and Lok Sabha polls, by fielding our candidates against official candidate of the government'
They said this was preliminary voter turnout and the final figure may cross 80 per cent as electoral fate of 301 candidates were locked in EVMs which will be opened on March 10 for counting.
Breaking his silence over reports about his possible appointment as Defence Minister, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah had asked him to take up an assignment at the Centre, if offered, and that he was willing to shoulder the responsibility.
Giving a new poll slogan of 'Khel Zatlo' in Goa, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said an anti-BJP alliance has already taken shape in the coastal state under the banner of her party TMC and now it is for the Congress to decide whether it wants to join the grouping ahead of elections to take on the saffron outfit.
Sawant took the oath in Konkani language.
Goa Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was on Saturday sworn in as the new chief minister.
It was crucial for the BJP to bag the two seats as it does not enjoy a majority on its own in the 40-member assembly.
In a video message, Parrikar, 62, appealed people to continue praying for his health.
The Congress, which is the single-largest party with 16 MLAs, has already staked claim to form the government in the coastal state.
The BJP is certain that the TMC will divide the Opposition votes, leaving it free to cruise through the polls.
Independent MLA Govind Gawde supporting the BJP's effort to form the next Goa government confirms that defence minister told him he will be the next Goa chief minister
Incumbents Pushkar Singh Dhami and Pramod Sawant are the clear favourites but face some opposition
"The people of Goa demand that we should send Parrikar back to the state," Shah said.
The culling of key state leaders and bureaucrats has given rise to distrust and uneasiness in Pramod Sawant's style of functioning, notes Aditi Phadnis.
Campaigning came to an end on Saturday for the single-day election in Uttarakhand and Goa, two states known for political volatility where the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting to retain power, and for the second phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh on February 14.
The opposition Congress could muster only 16 votes against the government with one of its legislators absenting from the crucial floor test.
The Congress legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, demanded that the governor should summon one-day session of the assembly for a floor test.
Parrikar has been admitted to the AIIMS for follow-up treatment reportedly for a pancreatic ailment.
If pandemic (mis)management threatened to dominate Goa's electoral discourse, the BJP is up against a deeper structural issue in its organisation, created by the fact that a majority of the legislature party and the ministerial council is made up of Congress defectors, disparagingly referred to by the Opposition as "imports". Radhika Ramaseshan reports.
In India, rape is the fourth most common crime against women. If one goes by the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, a shocking 93 women are raped in the country each day and a total of 33,707 cases were registered in 2013. Yet at such a time, short skirts, mobile phones and Western culture are blamed for these incidents. Here's a look at some of the most insensitive and odd reasons for the rise in rapes in the country.
He said had the alliance with Goa Forward gone through, the Congress would have got majority in the state and that it was unfair to now make him a "villain".
Congress and RJD are single largest parties in Goa and Bihar respectively.
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