Goa CM Pramod Sawant wins trust vote

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday proved the majority of his BJP-led government in the Assembly, comfortably winning a floor test in the House.

Twenty MLAs voted for the motion of confidence in the two-day old government, while 15 opposed it.

The special session of the House was convened by Governor Mridula Sinha to conduct the floor test, after Sawant was sworn in as the CM during wee hours of Tuesday.

Besides 11 members from BJP, three each from Goa Forward Party, MGP and Independents supported Sawant during the head count conducted in the House.

The Assembly session was presided over by Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo.

All the 14 MLAs of Congress and one from NCP stood up against the motion.

After winning the trust vote, Sawant appealed all the members to join hands with him to ensure that developmental work reaches every nook and corner of the state.

While the total strength of the Goa Assembly is 40, it fell by four following the death of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP MLA Francis D’Souza, and resignations of two Congress legislators Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte.

BJP MLA Pandurang Madkaikar, who suffered a brain stroke in 2018 and had not made a public appearance since, was present in the state assembly to vote in favour of the chief minister.

The BJP-led coalition comprises 12 BJP MLAs, three MLAs each from Goa Forward and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party as well as two Independent MLAs.

GFP chief Vijai Sardesai and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar are the two deputy chief ministers in Goa. This is the first instance that Goa has two deputy chief ministers.

Shiv Sena slams BJP

Meanwhile, in a scathing attack on the political drama between the BJP and its allies in Goa over the leadership issue, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday dubbed it as a "terrible state of democracy", saying they did not even wait for late chief minister Manohar Parrikar's ashes to cool down.

The "shameless game of power" started even before Parrikar's ashes could merge with the land of Gomantak, the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

It claimed that had the BJP waited till Tuesday, its government in Goa would have fallen and one of the two deputy chief ministers would have joined the Congress and got the desired post, it claimed.

BJP MLA Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the new chief minister of Goa just before 2am on Tuesday, capping a day of hectic parleys between the BJP and its allies to put a new government in place in the state.

It claimed the BJP announced four years ago that there will be no deputy chief minister in any state it rules and so, the Sena was not given the post.

However, later, one was appointed in Bihar, two in Uttar Pradesh, it accepted the post in Jammu and Kashmir and now, two are getting the same in Goa, the Marathi daily pointed out.

(With inputs from IANS and PTI)