Pramod Sawant while taking oath to office at 01:50 am on Tuesday
Newly appointed Goa CM Pramod Sawant today won the floor test in Goa Assembly as 20 MLAs voted in the favour of BJP-led government sworn-in on Tuesday after the demise of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Before the floor test, Sawant said the new government had sought a floor test to prove its strength in the Assembly. He exuded confidence that the BJP-led alliance would win the floor test and remain intact, adding the party's allies are backing him.
The government is backed by a majority support of 21 MLAs--12 from the BJP, three each of allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents.
The strength of the 40-member House has been reduced to 36 following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte.
The Congress, which is the single largest party with 14 MLAs, had also staked claim to form the government. There is also an NCP legislator in the House.
Governor Mridula Sinha had convened a special session of the Assembly at 11.30 am Wednesday to enable the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the House, an official said.
After multiple postponements of the oath ceremony on Monday, Sawant, a two-time MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa, was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan at 1.50 am. An ayurveda practitioner, Sawant is a dedicated RSS worker. He succeeded Parrikar, who died on Sunday after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.
As per the power-sharing arrangement reached by the BJP with allies, an MLA each from the two smaller parties backing the saffron party--GFP chief Vijai Sardesai and MGP's Sudin Dhavalikar--were made deputy chief minister. It is for the first time that a tiny state like Goa has two deputy chief ministers.
Sawant said the new government had sought a floor test on Wednesday to prove its strength in the Assembly. He exuded confidence that the BJP-led alliance would win the floor test and remain intact, adding the party's allies are backing him.
"I will try to ensure that the alliance remains intact. I will deal with people the way Parrikar used to," Sawant said expressing confidence that his government will complete its tenure. He said ministers sworn along with him would be allocated portfolios soon.
Sawant said his priority was to complete projects undertaken by Parrikar. The state government will build a memorial in Parrikar's name at Panaji's Miramar beach, where he was cremated, he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
