Panaji, Nov 26 (TNN): Goa legislative assembly speaker Rajendra Arlekar on Tuesday formally accepted the resignation of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar as Panaji MLA.
Parrikar, who has been elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha member from Lucknow, has been appointed as the Union defence minister. He had actually handed his resignation to Arlekar on November 21 but stated that it should be considered effective from November 25.
The resignation means that the strength of the Goa legislative assembly is now 39 MLAs. BJP has 20 MLAs.
Arlekar said he will now write to the Election Commission of India about the vacancy created in Panaji assembly constituency. The ECI has to hold a by-election for Panaji within six months.
Parrikar first won the Panaji seat on the BJP ticket in 1994. He has won from Panaji five consecutive terms, the last being March 2012.