Panaji: BJP’s Pramod Sawant willl be the new Chief Minister of Goa, party sources said here Monday, ending the suspense over who will succeed Manohar Parrikar.
Parrikar, 63, who died Sunday after battling pancreatic cancer, was cremated with state honours here Monday evening.
Sawant is now Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, while the two would-be Dy CMs are Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar.
As per the power-sharing arrangement reached with allies, an MLA each from two small parties backing BJP in the coastal state will be made deputy chief ministers, the sources said.
After a stalemate following a series of meetings with the allies, he BJP managed to break the deadlock, offering them their pound of flesh, by accepting the key demand for deputy CM’s posts.
There was no such arrangement (Dy CM post) in place when Parrikar was the CM.
We have managed to convince the alliance partners and finalised the formula of two Deputy Chief Ministers for the state, a senior BJP functionary said.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari Monday evening had said a consensus eluded the BJP and its allies on the next Goa Chief Minister, adding the BJP had zeroed in on the CM candidate but the allies were yet to get on board.
There were a series of meetings involving the Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party’s three MLAs each, an equal number of Independents, and BJP legislators since late Sunday night to reach a consensus on Parrikar’s successor.
Parrikar was heading a coalition government comprising the BJP, three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the MGP and three independents.
The Congress is currently the single largest party in the state with 14 MLAs. The BJP has 12 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, whose strength now is 36 after Parrikar’s death.
The strength of the House has reduced due to demise of BJP MLA Francis D’Souza earlier this year, and Parrikar Sunday, and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte last year.
PTI
