Thirty nine MLAs of the Eight Goa Legislative Assembly took oath of office on Tuesday, the last day when the term of the previous Goa Assembly was to expire. Pro-tem Speaker had taken the oath before the Governor on Monday. The seventh Goa Assembly was dissolved by the Governor on Saturday 12 March, after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tendered his resignation.
This is possibly the first time that the MLAs elect have taken oath without a govt being in place.
The Goa Assembly has a total of 19 new faces, who are completely new to the legislative process. In addition, four MLAs had been members of the Goa Assembly in the past, including Pro-tem speaker Ganesh Gaonkar. Seventeen MLAs were part of the outgoing Seventh Goa Assembly.
Of the total 39 MLAs, 19 took oath in English, 12 took oath in the official language Konkani and 7 took the oath in Marathi. Some of the MLAs were clad in suits, some in a vest and others had worn shirts.
The ceremony of oath taking, effectively the first session of the Eighth Legislative Assembly of Goa, began with the singing of the National Anthem of India. Thereafter the speaker called on Jit Arolkar who was elected from Mandrem to take the oath. Both he and Pravin Arlekar of Pernem took the oath in English.
Delilah Lobo, Rohan Khaunte, Rodolfo Fernandes, Viresh Borkar, Rajesh Phaldessai, Pramod Sawant, Vijai Sardesai, Digambar Kamat, Venzy Viegas, Yuri Alemao and Alton D’Costa took the oath in Konkani. Even as the MLAs elect were free to choose the language of their choice to take the oath some faltered on words include the word ‘constitution’ while taking the oath possibly due to nervousness.
