BJP State President and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade has reportedly hinted of a possible cabinet reshuffle. The issue was discussed for several months and the decision is reportedly to be taken by the central leadership of the party and the Chief Minister. Incidentally, reports of an expected reshuffle of the Goa cabinet dominated the news space off and on throughout last year which has been carried forward to the New Year. To induct ministers it is prudent to create vacancies by dropping incumbents as the Constitution permits a maximum of 12 ministers including the Chief Minister for a small state like Goa. This could probably be the reason for the inordinate delay for the proposed reshuffle.
It may be recalled that in November 2023 Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ruled out cabinet reshuffle in the State stating that the Central leadership was busy with the government formation in Maharashtra. Speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle to accommodate Congress defectors along with the Goa Legislative Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar have been rife in the State since the last several months. Deputy Speaker and Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza appears to have thrown his hat in the ring by expressing his willingness to take on a ministerial role if the party’s central leadership deems him to be suitable for the position.
The cabinet reshuffle has been a case of ‘tarik pe tarik’. The dateline was shifted to Ganesh festival and later to Diwali. Now with the festive Christmas season over, can Goans expect a cabinet reshuffle in the near future? There have been several visits of Goan leadership to Delhi, every time throwing speculations of a reshuffle. It may be recalled that in November 2023, the then Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral was dropped and Aleixo Sequeira was inducted. One positive impact of the oft postponed cabinet reshuffle is that it could have kept all the ministers and the aspirants for a cabinet berth on their toes, putting their best foot forward and serving the people. If that is the case, then the yet-to-happen reshuffle could have come as a blessing in disguise for Goans.
