Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party have begun formal talks to form the next government in Goa, after emerging as the largest combine in a fractured verdict in the polls to the 40-member Goa assembly bagging 19 seats.

All India Congress Committee general secretary Margaret Alva along with Congress leader and NCP general secretary Gurunath Kulkarni are holding talks in a hotel at Donapaula to decide the strategy.

The NCP has already put its claim on Deputy CM's post while the Congress Legislature Party will meet later in the evening to elect their leader.

The CLP meeting on Tuesday evening was inconclusive as the Congress legislature authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to decide their leader.

Congress-NCP combine has 19 legislators while it has to get support of two more to form the government in the 40-seat-house.