Parrikar laid to rest amid buzz over next chief minister in Goa
SPECULATION Parrikar’s last rites held with full state honours, Pramod Sawant said to be a front runner for CM post
PANAJI: Goa assembly speaker Pramod Pandurang Sawant will be sworn in as the new chief minister of a Bjp-led coalition government on Monday evening by governor Mridula Sinha, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
Two MLAS from the BJP alliance partners in the state will be made deputy chief ministers as part of the compromise reached with allies, news agency PTI quoted unnamed BJP leaders as saying.
Sawant, who was set to be the 11th chief minister of the coastal state, will succeed his mentor Manohar Parrikar, who died on Sunday after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. Parrikar’s last rites were held with full military and state honours in Panaji’s Miramar beach on Monday evening.
“The BJP had finalised Sawant’s candidature last night. But we only managed to convince alliance partners today (Monday) evening in the presence of our national president Amit Shah and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. He will be sworn in as chief minister later today,” said the BJP leader who did not want to be identified.
The BJP managed to break the deadlock in Goa by accepting the allies’ demand for deputy CM’S posts. The two would-be deputy chief ministers are Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA Sudin Dhavalikar.
Earlier in the day, the BJP had announced that the swearing-in was postponed as potential allies appeared to not be able to reach consensus.
The allies — the GFP, the MGP and independents — did not appear to agree to the BJP’S attempts to nominate Sawant, local media had reported. However, BJP president Amit Shah met the alliance partners in the state in the evening and chalked out a consensus.
The Congress, meanwhile, accused the BJP of creating an “artificial majority” in Goa and urged Governor Mridula Sinha to invite the opposition party to form a government as it was the single largest party.
Senior Congress l eader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in New Delhi, “I will like to attract the attention of whole country as well as the media that democracy should be established (in Goa). And governors, who sit on the position of a judge, should take correct decision… The one who has a majority should form a government. It is not right for democracy if artificial majority is created as per the directions of central government.”
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma accused the Congress of “politicising” Parrikar’s demise. “The way they have come forward to stake claim to form the government in the state shows that they had been waiting for him to die. It is highly insensitive on their part to play politics even in such situations,” Sharma told news agency ANI.
Leaders of regional parties and independent MLAS, who are in touch with the BJP over formation of a new coalition govern-