Pramod Sawant assumes responsibility as Goa CM; floor test on Wednesday

Goa, Mar 19 Pramod Sawant, who was sworn-in Goa's chief minister in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, assumed responsibility at his office around early afternoon around the same time.

Sawant was chosen to be the next Goa CM after the demise of Manohar Parrikar on Sunday. Parrikar, a four-time CM, was experiencing pancreatic illness since February of 2018. He was incinerated with full state honours.

While the entire nation mourned Parrikar's demise, a political tussle resulted with Cogress staking guarantee to shape the administration even as BJP and its partners bantered on who might supplant Parrikar. Sawant, Speaker in the Goa Assembly and a staunch BJP follower, was in the long run picked for the post with Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's Sudin Dhavalikar as his delegates.

The Congress is the single-largest party here with 14 MLAs, followed by BJP with 12. MGP and GFP - partners of BJP - have three MLAs each while there are three autonomous MLAs who support BJP. Aside from these, there is one MLA from the Nationalist Congress Party.

BJP partners had recently met up with their support on the condition that Parrikar would be the CM. After his demise, there were political posturings with most of them demanding the post for their candidate. The move to have deputy CMs from MGP and GFP, be that as it may, could help BJP succeed in the floor test even if one of its own MLA - Pandurang Madkaikar - is in the hospital and could be missing on Wednesday.