new Delhi: Pramod Sawant will take oath as the Chief Minister of Goa for the second consecutive time on March 28. The BJP said it would continue in its role for about 10 days after the election results in the coastal state, where the party managed to win 20 out of 40.
Goa is the only state in this round of assembly elections, where the BJP got a second term, but could not get a majority. The BJP has comfortably won over half the seats in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
Goa’s oldest party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, is back with the BJP after contesting with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. On Tuesday, Sawant handed over letters of support from MGP (often playing the role of kingmaker) and three other independent legislators from the state to Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai. Analysts say that with several stalwarts in the line-up, Sawant will have to meet several expectations while distributing cabinet portfolios.
With the Uttar Pradesh CM election already decided, the BJP deliberated for several days whether Sawant, Biren Singh and Pushkar Singh Dhami would continue in their roles in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. It was criticized by rivals for the delay in government formation in the states. Ultimately, the chief ministers will start the second innings in all the BJP-ruled states.
“I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving me the opportunity to serve as Goa CM for the next five years,” Sawant told reporters after the party’s marathon meeting on Monday evening. . I am happy that the people of Goa have accepted me. I will make every effort for the development of the state.”
It was also the first Goa assembly election that the BJP contested after the death of former Union minister Manohar Parrikar, who was part of the electoral strategy in the state.
first published:March 22, 2022, 1:47 pm