MARGAO
Outgoing Minister in the Pramod Sawant Cabinet, Aleixo Sequeira, was conspicuously absent from the swearing-in ceremony of Digambar Kamat and Ramesh Tawadkar. Inquiries have confirmed that his absence was not due to health reasons. In fact, if Sequeira’s resignation from the Chief Minister’s Cabinet was truly for “personal reasons” and unrelated to any health concerns, then his absence at Raj Bhavan on Thursday also had nothing to do with health.
Even as political observers continue to investigate the real reasons behind Aleixo Sequeira’s decision to quit the Cabinet, the unfolding political developments have raised a contentious question: Has Margao’s gain in political clout through Digambar Kamat’s Cabinet induction come at the expense of neighbouring Nuvem, represented by Sequeira?
Both Digambar and Aleixo hail from the minority-dominated Salcete region, representing the constituencies of Margao and Nuvem respectively. The duo was part of the group of eight Congress MLAs who defected to the BJP on September 14, 2022. Unlike previous instances when swearing-in ceremonies were held at midnight to accommodate political turncoats into the BJP, this time the duo had to wait considerably before Chief Minister Pramod Sawant inducted Aleixo Sequeira into his Cabinet on November 19, 2023, replacing former Minister Nilesh Cabral.
Since then, the seven-time Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat, had been waiting in the wings for the promised Cabinet berth in the Sawant government. In fact, Kamat was just weeks away from completing three full years since he, along with the other defectors, had switched allegiance from the Congress to the BJP on September 14, 2022.
Was Aleixo sacrificed at the Altar of Politics?
Former Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira has made it abundantly clear that he shared a cordial working relationship with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant during his tenure in the Cabinet. In fact, Sequeira went out of his way to praise the Chief Minister, even stating that Sawant had granted him complete freedom to function effectively as a Minister.
This brings us to a pertinent question: What prompted Sequeira to step down from the Cabinet, making way for the induction of Digambar Kamat?
While Sequeira has remained tight-lipped about the reasons for his resignation, sources suggest that the decision was politically motivated, driven by electoral considerations in the lead-up to key polls ” starting with the Zilla Panchayat elections later this year, followed by the civic polls in 2026 and the Assembly elections in 2027.
Insiders note that Sequeira’s administrative acumen and organisational capabilities proved invaluable to the government on multiple fronts. Notably, he was handpicked by the Chief Minister to oversee the organisation of the Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier and was entrusted with addressing the sanitation crisis at the Cutbona fishing jetty, which was hit by a cholera outbreak last year.
Sequeira, however, reportedly faced criticism within party leadership for failing to strengthen the BJP’s base in minority-dominated Salcete ” particularly in his home constituency of Nuvem. His inability to create a “feel-good” factor among minority communities was seen as a key shortcoming. The fact that the BJP could not even constitute booth-level committees in Nuvem during the party’s organisational elections drew sharp criticism from then BJP State President and MP Sadanand Tanavade.
Party sources further indicated that the leadership had pinned hopes on Sequeira to help swing minority votes in favour of the BJP candidate during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, not just in Nuvem but in adjoining constituencies like Benaulim and Curtorim. However, the outcome fell short of expectations.
In this context, many believe that Sequeira’s exit appears less about personal performance as a Minister and more about the larger political goal aimed at reshaping electoral fortunes.
Kamat inducted to fortify Margao, Fatorda base?
With former Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira unable to swing the minority vote in favour of the BJP in the last election, sources say the party leadership decided to replace him with Digambar Kamat, keeping a strategic eye on the upcoming electoral battles ” particularly the crucial Margao Municipal Council elections in March 2026 and the 2027 Assembly polls.
Unlike Sequeira, whose political influence in Nuvem and the wider Salcete region has been viewed as limited, a section of the party leadership is reportedly convinced that Kamat’s induction could help the BJP retain control over the Margao Municipal Council in the forthcoming civic polls.
In this respect, sources said the stakes seemed particularly high for State BJP President Damu Naik, who hails from Fatorda. Sources say Damu is gearing up for a political showdown with his long-time rival, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai, in both the 2026 civic polls and the 2027 Assembly elections ” especially in the Margao and Fatorda constituencies.
Against this backdrop, party insiders believe the decision to bring Kamat into the Pramod Sawant Cabinet was a calculated political move aimed at bolstering the BJP’s prospects in Margao and Fatorda in particular and South Goa in general.
