Goa: Pramod Sawant wins floor-test in Assembly with 20 votes
What's the story
Newly-appointed Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant passed the floor test on Wednesday after 20 MLAs voted in favor of the government, led by BJP. Sawant was sworn in as the CM of the coastal state on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. He sat on the chair after Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness. Here's more.
Test
20 voted for the motion, 15 polled against it
BJP's Sawant got the support of three lawmakers each of Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) as well as three Independents. 15 MLAs, 14 from Congress and 1 from NCP, voted against the motion. The effective strength of 40-member Goa Assembly was reduced to 36 with deaths of two BJP lawmakers and resignation of two Congress MLAs.
Tough talk
Allies got deputy CM posts
However, it wasn't easy for BJP to retain the allies, who had said they lent support to Parrikar, not any party. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who landed in Goa hours after Parrikar's demise, led the negotiations. The local parties agreed to support BJP after securing two Deputy Chief Minister posts for themselves. GFP chief Vijai Sardesai and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar got coveted posts.
Quote
This is a new beginning: Sardesai
"We, being in the government, want this government to survive, but I must say this is a new beginning. You can never say how the future will go," Sardesai said.
Congress
Meanwhile, Congress wanted to form government but couldn't
With Sawant's win, Congress' hopes of forming the government in Goa ended again. In the last four days, Congress staked claim to form the government twice. The first letter was sent to Governor Mridula Sinha after Parrikar's health deteriorated and a similar letter was shot off after the former Defense Minister passed away. On Monday, a Congress delegation met Sinha, uninvited.
Details
Congress called Sinha a "BJP agent"
Subsequently, Congress slammed Sinha for denying them an opportunity and called her a "BJP agent". After 2017 polls, Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 14 MLAs. In the first letter, Congress also told Sinha that the state shouldn't be kept under the President's rule as it would be undemocratic and they would oppose it. They also claimed BJP's numbers would decrease.