Panjim: It looks like Pramod Sawant will become the chief minister of Goa once again. Sources have told ABP News that his name will be formally announced after the BJP's legislature party meeting.
The indication comes after days of suspense over who would be the next Goa CM, though the BJP emerged as the single largest party after the 2022 Goa assembly elections, and it has enough seats to claim majority on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha.
The developments that took place after the election results showed why it was not easy for the party leadership to choose its chief minister for the coastal state.
Out of 40 Vidhan Sabha seats, the BJP bagged 20. With the support of three independents, the party safely returned to power. With it two MLAs, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, or MGP, has also offered its unconditional support to the BJP.
Pramod Sawant was an obvious choice for the CM post as the party has been able to increase its number of seats and return to power under his chief ministership. Also, his tenure as the CM was not marred by any major controversy or allegations of corruption. However, it is still not going to be a cakewalk for him as the CM. For, he has a challenger within the party — Vishwajit Rane, a former Congressman who defected to the BJP after the 2017 assembly election results.
The Vishwajit Rane Factor
Everybody in the political circles of Goa is aware of Vishwajit Rane’s ambitions. He was health minister in the outgoing cabinet and won the election from Valpoi constituency with a good margin. His wife Deviya Rane also got elected as an MLA on BJP ticket from Poriem.
Son of former CM Pratapsingh Rane, Vishwajit is an influential name in the Goa BJP. His unamiable relationship with CM Pramod Sawant has been often noticed in Goa’s political corridors.
After winning the election, Vishawajit Rane and his wife published front-page advertisements in the prominent newspapers of Goa thanking their respective voters. The advertisements carried pictures of various party leaders such as Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Devendra Fadnavis, but there was no Pramod Sawant. This was seen as an indication of things to come.
Deviya even told mediapersons that Vishawajit is a worthy contender for the CM post because he is an "experienced politician over the last 15 years", though she clarified that the final decision will be taken by the party high command.
Another dissident in the BJP is Babush Monserrate, the MLA from Panjim. After winning the election from the seat, defeating BJP rebel Utpal Parrikar, son for the late former CM Manohar Parrikar, he openly expressed his displeasure towards the party by saying the BJP cadres didn’t help him during the polls, and that’s why his winning margin was minuscule.
Vishwajeet and Babush together are known to have influence over six to seven MLAs, and are capable of pressurising the party to pay heed to their demands.
On Tuesday, when Vishwajeet and his wife Deviya reached the Vidhan Sabha to take oath as MLAs, they refuted factionalism within the party and said it was all media’s imagination. However, their real moves would be evident during the election of the leader of legislature party, which is likely to happen after Holi.
Senior leader Narendra Singh Tomar has been appointed as the observer of Goa, and the meeting to formally appoint the next CM would be conducted under him.