Pramod Sawant set to take oath as Goa CM for second time; PM Modi to attend

Panaji, Mar 27: Pramod Sawant, who led the BJP to win 20 seats in the recently concluded elections to the 40-member Goa Assembly, will be sworn as the state's chief minister for the second time on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries. The swearing-in ceremony would be held at Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee stadium near here at 11 am.

"The PM, HM, & at least 15 CMs of different states will be arriving here tomorrow for the swearing-in ceremony of Goa CM. Around 2000 Goa Police personnel deployed, special teams have arrived from outside. Coast Guards & Navy have been kept on alert," said DGP Indradev Shukla.

"Drones & other technologies are also being used. Railway stations, bus stands, and hotels are kept under strict surveillance," he added.

More than 10,000 people are likely to attend the event at the stadium, and the swearing-in ceremony will also be broadcast across the coastal state through various news channels.

The BJP has so far been silent on the number of other cabinet ministers to be sworn in on Monday.

This would be the second time that Goa's chief minister will be sworn in outside the Raj Bhavan premises.

In 2012, Manohar Parrikar had taken oath as the CM at Campal ground in the state capital Panaji after the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the House.

In the recently concluded state polls, the BJP won 20 seats, one short of the majority in the 40-member House. Three independent MLAs and two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have extended support to the BJP.

Sawant (48) is an MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when the BJP formed its government under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar in 2017.

He was sworn-in as the chief minister for the first time in March 2019 after Parrikar's death.

Sawant, an Ayurveda medical practitioner, was at the helm when the coastal state faced the COVID-19 pandemic along with other parts of the country.

with PTI inputs