Panaji, Mar 14 (IANS): The Congress party on Tuesday said that Goa Governor Mridula Sinha unilaterally invited the BJP to form the next government in the state, despite a letter by the Congress party to her seeking an invitation to form the government, AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said on Tuesday.

"We wanted to stake claim since March 12. We had even given her a letter by the night of March 12. She still did not give us time, and went against 'established conventions' and invited the BJP to form government," Singh told a press conference in Panaji.

The Congress is expected to meet the Governor in a bid to stake claim later on Tuesday.

Both the Congress, which has emerged as the single largest party in the February 4 elections in Goa, and the BJP which has 13 MLAs in the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, are locked in a tussle over government formation.

Sinha on Sunday invited former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to form government, after the latter submitted letters of support from 21 MLAs, which includes three MLAs each from regional parties Goa Forward and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and two Independent legislators. One more Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar from Sanguem assembly constituency, submitted his letter of support to BJP on Monday.

Parrikar will be sworn in as Chief Minister later on Tuesday.