PANAJI
The 40 new MLAs are scheduled to take their oath of allegiance to the Constitution on Tuesday morning.
Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Sunday summoned the Goa legislative assembly to convene at 11.30 on Tuesday for the oath ceremony of the new MLAs.
Pillai also appointed Sanvordem MLA-elect Ganesh Gaonkar of the BJP as the pro-tem Speaker, who will administer the oath to the 39 MLAs.
The oath as MLA will be administered to Gaonkar by Pillai at the Raj Bhavan on Monday at 11.30 am.
The BJP, led by caretaker Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, is set to retain power although it fell just one seat short of a simple majority of 21. It won exactly half (20) of the 40 assembly constituencies when results of the February 14 assembly elections were declared on March 10 by the Election Commission of India.
Its closest rival the Congress fell far short of the half way mark winning just 11 seats and an additional one seat was won by its pre-poll alliance partner the Goa Forward Party.
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) won two and its leader Sudin Dhavalikar has already extended "unconditional support" to the BJP.
Three other seats have been won by Independents -- Reginaldo Lourenco (Curtorim), Antonio Vas (Cortalim) and Dr Chandrakant Shetye (Bicholim) -- who have also aligned with the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won two seats and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) has won one.
Although the incumbent Sawant is seemingly in the driver's seat to become chief minister again, there has been no official communication on the matter from the BJP which is known to spring a surprise on choosing Chief Ministers.
Being from the party cadre, having led the party in the election and returning with unexpectedly good numbers and his malleability in day-to-day functional matters in the administration are factors which are holding Sawant in good stead.
Party sources said, the only challenge if any to Sawant's re-installation as chief minister could come if at all from his chief detractor within the party -- Valpoi MLA -- but not many from among the new MLAs-elect are expected to show vocal support to the latter.
On Saturday, however, the Valpoi MLA caused a bit of stir when he paid a visit to Pillai at the Raj Bhavan but he quickly dismissed it as purely a courtesy visit.
Asked when the party intends to hold the swearing-in ceremony of its new government, the BJP functionary who did not want to be identified, said it is up to the party's Central leadership.
The party also has to install new governments in three other States -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur -- which it won from the five which went to the polls along with Goa. The fifth, Punjab has been won by the AAP.
Sawant is on record that he himself is unaware when the party High Command will send its observers to oversee the process of electing the new BJP legislature party leader and initiate the process of installing the new government.
