Panaji (Goa): Goa caretaker Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will continue as the state's Chief Minister, the BJP announced on Monday. The party legislature committee chose Sawant as the leader of BJP's legislature party in a meeting in Panaji today thus confirming his name as Goa Chief Minister.
Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister and BJP's central observer for Goa said Sawant's name was proposed as the Leader of the Legislative Party by party leader Vishwajit Rane. "Everyone unanimously elected Sawant as the Leader. He will be the Leader of the Legislative Party for the next 5 years," Tomar said. This will be the third straight term of BJP in Goa.
Immediately after the announcement, Sawant thanked PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the opportunity. "I want to thank PM Narendra Modi and Union HM Amit Shah to have given me the opportunity to work as the CM of Goa for the next 5 years. I am glad that the people of Goa have accepted me. I'll do everything possible to work for the development of the state," said Sawant, who will now be a CM-designate till the swearing-in.
During the assembly elections, Sawant, who contested from Sankali constituency, received a total of 12,250 votes against Congress' Dharmesh Sangalani who gave him a tough fight. Sanglani had overtaken Sawant in the first few rounds of counting, leaving high speculations on Sawant's loss. But in the final round, Sawant picked up the pace and eventually seized the victory. Although, despite his win, this election hinted that his grip and influence on the constituency was not so impressive.
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