PANJIM: Manohar Parrikar will be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Goa, at Raj Bhavan, at 5,15 pm on Tuesday. Sources in the BJP said that eight ministers (including Parrikar) will be sworn in.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, besides BJP National President Amit Shah have confirmed their presence at the swearing-in ceremoney.
Francis D’Souza (BJP), Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar and Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar (MGP), Vijai Sardesai, Vinod Palyekar and Jayesh Salgaonkar (Goa Forward Party), and Independents Rohan Khaunte and Govind Gaude will take oath of office as ministers on Tuesday.
State BJP President Vinay Tendulkar said BJP might have one more MLA inducted in the cabinet, however, nothing has been finalised.
“There could be two or three BJP leaders including Parrikar and D’Souza. We are not sure who will be the third legislator. Everything will be clear either tomorrow (Tuesday) morning or two hours before the swearing-in,” Tendulkar told Herald.
Party sources said that three to four ministerial berths will be filled later. Sinha had invited Parrikar to form the government after he staked claim to form the government and produced letters of support of 21 MLAs.
Parrikar, who has not contested the Assembly elections, is expected to hold the coalition government’s first Assembly session on March 20.
The party held a meeting of all its MLAs-elect on Monday evening. Those who attended denied that the meeting discussed portfolio allocation. “It was a meeting to inform and invite us for the swearing-in tomorrow. There was no discussion about portfolios or cabinet berths,” Nilesh Cabral, who has been re-elected from Curchorem, told Herald. It has, however, been learnt that there have been informal discussions about who would get ministerial berths and who would be the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Sources also said that there was a verbal duel between Cabral and Michael Lobo. Cabral reportedly suggested that some MLAs should be brought under control, to which Lobo took objection and asked him to name the MLAs. Cabral then shot back at him saying, “I am not talking to you.” Former Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and former Water Resources Minister Dayanand Mandrekar also stepped in to complain against the Calangute MLA-elect.
Earlier, the party met its office-bearers updating them on the developments.
The BJP, which failed to cross the halfway mark in the Assembly with its tally dipping to 13 from 21, pulled off a coup on Sunday by enlisting the support of GFP, MGP and two Independents, to reach the majority figure of 21 in the 40-member House.
