Pramod Sawant sworn in as Goa CM for second term
Pramod Sawant was sworn in as Goa's Chief Minister (CM) for a second consecutive term on Monday. He was administered the oath by Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigo. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which proved to be yet another show of strength for the BJP after Adityanath's oath-taking ceremony on Friday.
Why does this story matter?
This marks the third time that the BJP is forming a government in Goa. Sawant had taken over as CM in July 2019 after the demise of his predecessor, Manohar Parrikar. Initially, doubts were raised over Sawant's leadership. Even the exit polls had predicted a BJP-Congress hung assembly. Yet, the BJP won under the leadership of Sawant, who emerged victorious from Sanquelim.
Who all attended the event besides PM?
Some of the BJP-ruled states' leaders who attended the event included Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai. Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, and Rajnath Singh also attended the ceremony. BJP President JP Nadda and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who played a key role in the state election strategy, were also present.
Pramod Sawant offered prayers ahead of the mega ceremony
Pramod Sawant tweeted pictures of himself praying ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, which took place 18 days after the state's election results were announced. In the tweet, he wrote, "Offered prayers to the almighty as we continue on our journey to serve the people of Goa." Massive security arrangements were made for the event, with the Navy and Coast Guard being on high alert.
8 BJP MLAs took oath as ministers
Eight BJP legislators—including Vishwajit Rane, Ravi Naik, Mauvin Godinho, and Nilesh Cabral—took oath as ministers during the ceremony. Mauvin Godinho, Nilesh Cabral, Subhash Shirodkar, Rohan Khaunte, and Govind Gaude are the other MLAs who were sworn in as ministers in the Goa cabinet.
Who is Pramod Sawant?
Sawant, 48, is widely known as former CM Manohar Parrikar's protege. He steadily rose through the ranks of the state unit. He ran unsuccessfully in a by-election from the Pale Assembly in 2008. However, he continued to work with Parrikar and became victorious in the 2012 elections, winning from the Sanquelim constituency. Since then, he has been representing Sanquelim in the state assembly.
Facts about Goa
Goa is India's smallest state, but it is vital to the tourism industry. The BJP has won 20 of the 40 seats in the state and is forming the government with the support of the MGP, which, interestingly, fought the state elections alongside Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Some independent MLAs have also come out in support of the BJP.
