The new government has two deputy chief ministers, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar, from the two small parties backing BJP in the coastal state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pramod Sawanton Tuesday took oath as the chief minister of Goa in a ceremony held at 2am, as the saffron party managed to keep its allies together after hectic negotiations all through the day. The deputy chief ministers are likely to be declared by the end of the day.
The 45-year-old takes over from former defence minister and four-time CM of Goa Manohar Parrikar, who was cremated at the Miramar beach on Monday.
The crucial transition of power in the coastal state necessitated by Parrikar’s death on Sunday capped frenzied political developments, with the Congress too staking claim to power.
Sawant’s swearing-in ceremony was initially scheduled to be held at 11pm on Monday but it was pushed back, with the allies seeking to extract their pound of flesh.
The new government has two deputy chief ministers, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar, from the two small parties backing BJP in the coastal state.
Apart from the CM and his two deputies, nine other ministers of the state cabinet were also sworn in at the late-night ceremony.
The nine other ministers are Manohar Azgaonkar, Rohan Khaunte, Govind Gaude, Vinod Palienkar, Jayesh Salgaonkar, Mauvin Godinho, Vishwajit Rane, Milind Naik and Nilesh Cabral.
Michael Lobo, currently the deputy speaker, will be speaker till a new one is elected.
Sawant, along with union minister Nitin Gadkari, went to stake claim to form the government after midnight as power-sharing talks with the alliance partners continued till late.
The new CM said the party had given him a huge responsibility, and gave credit to Parrikar for his rise. “Whatever I am today is all due to Manohar Parrikar. It was he who brought me to politics. I became the Speaker and the CM today, due to him,” he said after meeting the Governor.