And on his part, party general secretary Sangapriyagautam, who is in chargeof Goa said BJP has decided to join the government in the "interest ofstability in the state." Earlier, Sardinha had said his Government wouldhave 14 members, including three from the BJP. Extending outside supportwould be the two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the single-memberNationalist Congress Party and a lone Independent from outside, Sardinhasaid. He has been asked by the Governor to seek a trust vote in 21 days.

For Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Goa brought bad news since it showedthe lack of coordination between the Central and state leaderships. In fact,a few hours before the CM resigned, Sonia told reporters: ``The (Congress)Government in Goa will certainly survive.''

While Congress leaders in Delhi claimed they lost Goa because of their``uncompromising'' stand and blamed the BJP, the Central leadership isclearly on the defensive. Sources point out that while the state's loss maynot be a serious political setback, it has more than just symbolic value.

After the Lok Sabha debacle, Sonia's ability to lead the party had come intoquestion from within the party and she has since been under pressure torevamp the party's organisational structure. Goa's loss may mean that shewill find it that much more difficult to undertake large-scale changes inthe party. Party leaders agree that drastic changes can be undertaken by theparty president only from a position of strength not weakness.

Already, there's intense infighting in the party's state units. Electionsare due in the two major states of Orissa and Bihar in less than four monthsand the picture is far from rosy from the party's point of view in both thestates.

Party sources said the developments leading to the fall of the government inGoa offer a view of the little control the Central leadership has over stateunits