Goa floor test: CM Pramod Sawant wins support with 20 MLAs vote

Panaji: Newly formed BJP-led collision government in Goa has won the floor test with 20 MLAs voted in favour of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the state assembly, on Wednesday.

The 45 year-old had the support of Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)’s Sudin Dhavalikar, who took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers.

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On Tuesday Sawant said, “We are going for the floor test tomorrow. There will be no problem. I am 100 per cent confident. The first priority is to take control of the administration. I want to give Goa a good administration. The second priority is to complete all of Manohar Parrikar’s projects which are currently ongoing."

"Parrikar managed it for two years. So I will be able to do it for the next three years. It is a proud moment for me to go from the Speaker’s post to the CM. Yes, this government will have two Deputy Chief Ministers. The first Deputy Chief Minister will be Sudin Dhavalikar and the second will be Vijai Sardesai,” he further said.

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The BJP had staked claim to form the government with these numbers: 10 BJP MLAs (Pandurang Madkaikar is in hospital and, therefore, not counted as a voting member), three each of the MGP and Goa Forward Party, and three independents. The House strength is down to 36 MLAs — with the deaths of Manohar Parrikar on Sunday and Francis D’Souza in February, and with two Congress members having resigned after they defected to BJP. Congress has 14 MLAs, and there’s one of the NCP.

The Congress, which also had claimed to have the numbers, called the midnight swearing-in of Sawant “unconstitutional”.

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