Pramod Sawant takes charge as new Goa CM, says will go for floor test on Wednesday
Panaji, Mar 19: Pramod Sawant on Tuesday took charge as the new chief minister of Goa. Sawant was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Goa just before 2 am on Tuesday.
After taking charge as the new CM, Sawant said,"We are going for the floor test tomorrow. There will two deputy CMs in this government- Vijay Sardesai and Sudin Dhavalikar. And I request all the people not to congratulate me or welcome me with flowers during the 7-day mourning period."
The two-time MLA from Sanquelim in North Goa, Sawant, who was Speaker of the state Assembly, is a dedicated RSS worker.
Hours after Parrikar, who passed away on Sunday at the age 63 after battling pancreatic cancer, was cremated with state honours, 45-year-old Sawant headed to the Raj Bhavan midnight to stake claim after leaders of two key allies, Goa Forward Party(GFP)'s Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)'s Sudin Dhavalikar, who were offered posts of Deputy Chief Ministers but had held out all evening, finally came on board.
After hectic parleys, how Pramod Sawant was chosen as Goa CM
According to a report in The Indian Express, Sawant was the man on whom Parrikar relied in his final days, to get the work done. He enjoyed immense backing and trust from the late leader. And it was this reputation that made him an easier choice, especially when party leaders (and allies) were known to harbour higher ambitions.
Sawant won the 2012 and 2017 Assembly elections from North Goa's Sanquelim constituency, which used to be a Congress stronghold.
He was among the few BJP MLAs who got re-elected in their constituencies during the state polls two years ago, when the party managed to win only 13 seats as compared to 21 in the 2012 elections.
Sawant holds a Bachelor's Degree in Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery from Ganga Education Society's Ayurvedic College in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.