PANAJI
BJP’s central observer and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the proposal to elect Sawant as leader was moved by Vishwajit Rane. Ravi Naik, Rohan Khaunte, Atanasio Monserrate, Nilesh Cabral and Mauvin Godinho seconded the move at the legislature party meeting, he said.
Tomar, who was designated to oversee the process, made the announcement at a press conference Monday evening.
The swearing-in ceremony of Sawant as Chief Minister and other ministers is slated to be held on Wednesday (March 23).
Tomar addressing the media in the presence of co-observer L Murugan, Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis and BJP’s Goa desk in-charge CT Ravi
Tomar said, “When I asked if there was any other in contention, there was nobody. Everybody supported the leadership of Sawant.”
Earlier on Monday morning, Tomar and Murugan arrived as scheduled and met with several members of the State BJP’s core team besides other leaders before setting the stage for the formal legislature party meeting which was eventually held at 4 pm.
The BJP had won 20 of the 40 seats when results of assembly election held on February 14 were declared on March 10. Although short of simple majority by just one MLA, the party secured the requisite numbers instantly with three Independent MLAs and two of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) pledged support in a scenario where the closest rival Congress was left far off the mark bagging just 11 seats and an additional one bagged by its alliance partner Goa Forward Party.
However, the saffron party came under severe criticism from political and other quarters for its cavalier approach and delay in going about the process of government formation post the results.
At 48, Sawant gets a second shot at leading the State. He first became Chief Minister three years ago following the death in office of Manohar Parrikar after battling cancer.
Although he led the party in the elections as chief minister and won a favourable mandate to claim power again despite a visible anti-incumbency sentiment, Sawant faced stiff competition for the leadership from his detractor within Vishwajit Rane.
Rane, according to reports, earned the sympathy of a section of the saffron party’s central leadership in the race for the chief ministership. However, Sawant had far greater acceptability among the elected legislators.
The Sawant-Rane tussle for the top post was so intense that the leadership was even seriously considering current Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Arlekar as a possible compromise choice.
Matters were however thrashed out and resolved at the Saturday-Sunday midnight meeting held at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi where BJP national president J P Nadda, national general secretary B L Santosh and some other top leaders were present. Both, Sawant and Rane, were also summoned for the meeting.
The decisions taken at Shah’s residence, pertaining to leadership and government formation in Goa and also in the three other States the BJP won, got the final seal of approval on Sunday night at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence.
