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Updated: Mar 16, 2019 16:02 IST

The Chief Minister’s office on Saturday sought to dispel reports that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s health condition had worsened, reporting instead that he was stable.

“With respect to some reports in media, it is hereby stated that Hon’ble Chief Minister @manoharparrikar’s health parameters continues to remain stable,” the official handle of the Chief Minister’s office tweeted on Saturday morning.

Reports earlier this morning indicated that Parrikar’s health had taken a turn for the worse after his blood pressure dropped.

BJP leader Siddharth Kuncalienkar who visited the chief minister at his private residence revealed that Parrikar was stable but didn’t reply in the affirmative when asked whether he got to speak to the chief minister.

Earlier this week, the BJP admitted that Parrikar would not be ‘in the field’ for the upcoming election campaign but that he would be the guiding force.

“Unfortunately, he is not actively in the field. But he is actively guiding us in all directions. I think that is enough for us. Yes, we would like him to come with us on the field. But unfortunately he is not well and is not able to come. But he is guiding us in every step we take,” Nilesh Cabral, minister in the BJP government, said.

The former Defence Minister has been ailing for over a year now but continues to rule the state by calling meetings of the cabinet at his residence as well as clearing files that are transported to his residence and approved in his presence.

Without Parrikar, the Goa BJP is a significantly weaker force beset by infighting and one-upmanship that could harm its prospects in the upcoming elections and bypolls which could threaten the survival of the delicate coalition.