No change of leadership in Goa, says state BJP chief
Panaji, Oct 19: The BJP's Goa unit on Friday said there would be no change of leadership in the coastal state.
Addressing a press conference here, Goa BJP unit chief Vinay Tendulkar ruled out the possibility of the party replacing ailing chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
His comments come a day after Vijay Desai, president of Goa Forward Party, a BJP ally in the state, claimed that the saffron party was "looking at who will succeed Parrikar".
The coalition partners in the state had met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the current political situation.
"The party wants this government to continue for the next three-and-half years and complete its tenure under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar," Tendulkar said.
When asked whether the BJP had lost its majority since three of its MLAs are ailing, Tendulkar said, "The Assembly will not be called tomorrow itself. There is time for the Assembly to be summoned."
He said the Parrikar government had the support of 23 MLAs and the ailing MLAs can make it to the Assembly in case their presence is required.
Besides Parrikar, two other BJP MLAs, Francis D'Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar, are currently hospitalised.
The Goa BJP chief said he had met Madkaikar and that his health was improving.
Responding to questions about Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, who joined the BJP on Tuesday, Tendulkar said they had joined the ruling party "unconditionally".
"They wanted to work under the leadership of Parrikar," he added.
BJP MLA and state power minister Nilesh Cabral refuted allegations that administrative work was hit in Parrikar's absence.
"Who gave you the impression that Parrikar is not doing administrative work?" he asked.
Cabral said the administration was working fine and Parrikar was monitoring files through emails during his absence from office.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
