PANJIM: The sudden visit of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade and general secretary Satish Dhond to meet the party central leaders in Delhi on Friday triggered speculation amid reports of differences among the Cabinet ministers and demand for a leadership change in the State.
Though the trio declined to comment about their visit, the party sources said that they have been called to discuss the recent differences between the Chief Minister and the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and reports of some party MLAs planning to quit the party ahead of the ensuing Assembly elections.
In the evening, the Goa leaders met at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah where party national president J P Nadda, general secretaries B L Santosh and C T Ravi and party’s election observer Devendra Fadnavis were present. They discussed organisational matters and reviewed party prospects in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Though the leaders said that their visit to the national capital was to wish Shah on his birthday, it is reliably learnt that Shah pulled up the Chief Minister for inviting him to lay the foundation stone for the proposed National Forensic Science University without first acquiring the land.
The central leadership is also learnt to have taken strong note of the recent differences between the Chief Minister and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Although in the past Rane was told to fall in line and stop lobbying for the Chief Minister’s post, there are now reports that the party high command is considering his name if there are any moves to replace the present incumbent Sawant with someone from the same community.
The BJP is also worried of the Trinamool Congress trying to poach its MLAs ahead of the Assembly elections.
The internal survey by the party has predicted a dismal performance by the BJP in 2022 elections. In the 2017 polls, the BJP tally had dropped from 21 to 13, yet the party formed the government by entering into alliances with regional forces and bolstered the strength by horse trading.
After the meeting, the Chief Minister left Delhi for Mumbai and will return Goa on Saturday morning.
