A QUESTION OF METTLE AND ORE

On March 21, 11 days after the BJP won 20 of the 40 assembly seats in Goa (one short of a simple majority), the party ended the suspense and announced that incumbent chief minister Pramod Sawant would continue to lead the state government.

- Kiran D. Tare

Stability is not an issue. Almost as soon as the results were out, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) announced its “unconditional support”. Three Independents—Chandrakant Shetye, Alexio Reginald Lourenco, and Antonio Vaz—are also now on board, so the party has the support of 25 MLAs.

Sawant wasn’t an automatic choice, five-time MLA Vishwajeet Rane had his hat in the ring too. Rane represents the Valpoi constituency next door to Sawant’s Sankhali. They have a similar socioeconomic profile too, coming as they do from the Maratha community, which is very influential in north Goa. Sawant is an Ayurvedic doctor while Rane has a degree in business administration. Rane, who switched over to the BJP from the Congress in 2017, also had the backing of several ‘new entrants into the party. That the BJP plumped for Sawant is an indication that the party does not want to hurt its loyalists. Union minister Narendra Tomar, the BJP central observer who oversaw Sawant’s selection as legislative party leader, told reporters categorically that he would be CM for the next five years.