The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pramod Sawant took oath as the 11th Chief Minister of Goa, succeeding Manohar Parrikar. The swearing in ceremony took place 2 am on Tuesday. 11 other MLA’s took oath as part of the cabinet.
The ceremony was held at a Raj Bhavan. As per the arrangement an MLA each from two ally parties, the Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party were made deputy CMs.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP chief Amit Shah were in Goa to convince the allies to break the deadlock.
The strength of the Goa legislative assembly reduced to 36 following the death of Manohar Parrikar. The Congress is the single largest party with 14 MLAs, followed by BJP’s 12 legislators.
The Congress party had also written to the Governor to form the government in Goa late Sunday night. Congress leader Chandrakant Kavlekar who went to the Raj Bhawan to stake claim said, “We are saddened by the chief minister’s demise, but before his final rites are performed, a new government has to be formed…The governor acknowledged that the Congress is the single largest party and she said she will get back to us”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Goa CM Pramod Sawant.
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1107855026414735361
After the oath ceremony, Pramod Sawant credited Manohar Parrikar for bringing him into politics. Sawant said the BJP has given him a big responsibility and added that he wants to take forward the legacy of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
Sawant was the Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly when Manohar Parrikar was chief minister.
Pramod Sawant who is 45, holds a bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine from the Ganga Ayurvedic Medical College in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district and has practised as a doctor of alternative medicine in Goa.
Sawant has completed his Masters in Social Welfare from the Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, a deemed university in Pune. He was elected to the state assembly on two occasions in 2012 and 2017 from the Sanquelim assembly constituency.
He was considered as a close aide of Manohar Parrikar, and Sawant’s wife Sulakshana is currently the state president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha (women’s wing).