PANAJI
Former Power Minister Aleixo Sequeira made a comeback to the State cabinet after over eleven years on Sunday after he was inducted in the Pramod Sawant-led team at the expense of former PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral.
Sequeira was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant after Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel read out the order of appointment.
He was power minister for a full five-year term in the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government in 2007-12.
Although Sawant declined to say what portfolios will be allocated to him and he requires to apply his mind to it, Sequeira is expected to get some of the portfolios “PWD, Environment, Law and Judiciary and Legislative Affairs “ which were held by Cabral who put in his papers on Sunday morning, following requests from Sawant and the BJP central leadership.
The brief swearing-in ceremony was held at the indoor hall of the Raj Bhavan and was attended by all cabinet members, BJP legislators, the three Independent MLAs supporting the government, Union Minister of State for Shipping Shripad Naik, former MP Narendra Sawaikar and bureaucrats.
Cabral skipped the function and Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate was the other notable absentee.
Interestingly, former chief minister Digambar Kamat and former Opposition Leader Michael Lobo attended Sequeira's swearing-in ceremony. Over a year ago they were part of the eight-member group of Congress MLAs who defected to the BJP in mid-September last year.
Five others from the group “ Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai and Rudolf Fernandes “ have already been appointed chairpersons of State-owned corporations or autonomous bodies although Amonkar had refused to take charge and his appointment as chairperson of Bal Bhavan was withdrawn.
Ever since this defection in September last year which left the Congress and the Opposition depleted in numbers, there had been speculation that Sequeira and Kamat would be sworn in as ministers.
Kamat meanwhile said that he was happy Sequeira has been elevated as minister as the "priority was for him (Aleixo)". He however did not comment on his own status or whether he will be inducted in the cabinet.
