Constituency gets minister after gap of 8 years
CANACONA
Having secured a cabinet representation for Canacona after a gap of eight years, Ramesh Tawadkar returned to a hero’s welcome in the taluka on Thursday evening.
It was a hectic day of political developments for Tawadkar, as he resigned as speaker and was sworn-in as minister a few hours later.
Tawadkar had left his bungalow at Amone-Poinguinim in the morning and headed straight to the Secretariat in Porvorim, where he was warmly received and accorded a ceremonial welcome and salute by security personnel for the last time as speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly. “It was an emotional moment for all the staff and members present, as Tawadkar submitted his resignation from the post of Speaker,” stated a close source to the Canacona MLA.
Tawadkar then proceeded to Dona Paula and reached in time at the Raj Bhavan, where he along with former chief minister Digambar Kamat were sworn-in as ministers by Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
The event was witnessed by hundreds of well-wishers and supporters of Tawadkar from Canacona constituency, who had arrived in buses and private vehicles.
The jubilant well-wishers and supporters then queued up to wish Tawadkar and Kamat after the ceremony.
Tawadkar then left for Canacona, where he was received with flowers and garlands near the Ganpati Gumti at Karmalghat.
The minister then proceeded to his office at Ruby Residency in Canacona, where hundreds of supporters and well-wishers waiting to greet him.
Sources close to Tawadkar disclosed that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is likely to allot portfolios to Tawadkar and Kamat by Monday.
Ramesh Tawadkar: From PE teacher to politician
Hailing from a humble farming family, Ramesh Tawadkar began his career as a physical education teacher at Shradhanand Vidyalaya, Poinguinim, where he had studied. He entered politics on a BJP ticket in 2002 but lost his debut contest from the then Poinguinim constituency.
Tawadkar bounced back in 2005, defeating Isidore Fernandes in a bye-election to become MLA. He repeated his victory against Fernandes in 2007, though this time serving as an Opposition legislator.
In 2012, after delimitation merged Poinguinim with Canacona, Tawadkar scored a third win, once again defeating Fernandes. With the BJP forming the government, he was inducted as minister, handling portfolios of Sports & Youth Affairs, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, and Tribal Welfare until 2017.
Denied a BJP ticket in the 2017 Assembly polls, Tawadkar resigned and unsuccessfully contested as an independent. Canacona, meanwhile, remained without ministerial representation — Fernandes, then MLA, sat in the Opposition and after later switching to the BJP, managed only a brief tenure as deputy speaker until 2022.
Tawadkar made his comeback in 2022, winning back Canacona on a BJP ticket. He was then unanimously elected Speaker of the Goa Assembly, a post he held for three-and-a-half years. On Thursday, Tawadkar resigned as Speaker and was sworn in as minister in the Pramod Sawant-led government.
