Goa: BJP's legislature party meeting postponed amid 'confusion' over CM face

Image Source : PTI
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant flashes the victory sign in Panaji as BJP win in Assembly polls.

Highlights

The BJP is in a comfortable position to form the next government in Goa
This would be BJP's third consecutive government in Goa
The tenure of the Goa Legislative Assembly is set to expire on March 16

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) legislature party meeting in Goa was postponed on Saturday due to unavoidable reasons. The central observes were likely to arrive in Panaji today from Delhi. But the observers couldn't reach the coastal state's capital due to the delay in the meeting of the party's Central Parliamentary Board as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Gujarat.

The observers would meet the newly elected 20 MLAs to elect the legislature party leader. Reports say that Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal may be appointed as the central observers.

Sources told India TV that the BJP's meeting in Goa will likely take place on Sunday or Monday. Once the legislature party leader is elected, the party will meet Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai to stake claim to form the next government.

The tenure of the Goa Legislative Assembly is set to expire on March 16. As per the Constitution, a new government should take the charge before the expiry of the Assembly.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has tendered his resignation to the Governor to pave the way for the formation of a new government in the state.

The saffron party has emerged as the single political party in the just held polls, winning 20 of the 40 Assembly seats. The BJP is just one short of the magic figure of 21 required to form a majority. After the poll results, which were announced on Thursday, the party said that it enjoys the support of three Independents and two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) legislators.

Even as the BJP is now in a comfortable position to form the government, the party has kept suspense over the Chief Minister. If reports are to go by, the party is looking for a new face to replace Sawant who won the election from the Sanquelim seat by a thin margin of 666 votes against Congress rival Dharmesh Saglani. Sawant took over the reins after the demise of Manohar Parrikar in 2019.