Pramod Sawant meets PM Modi in Delhi

He may retain his post as Goa’s Chief Minister over rival Vishwajit Rane 

Amid lingering suspense over who is going to be Goa’s next Chief Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from the coastal State, including caretaker Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top party brass in New Delhi on Wednesday. While an official announcement is pending, there is widespread speculation that Mr. Sawant is likely to continue as the Goa CM for a second term. According to sources, the announcement was likely to be made immediately after Holi festivities, on March 20 or 21.

Following the party’s decisive performance in the election, there has been lively interest over whether Mr. Sawant would carry on as the next CM, especially given his wafer-thin victory margin in his constituency Sanquelim as opposed to the emphatic performance of his party colleague and rival Vishwajit Rane, who has long been eyeing the CM’s post.

While Mr. Sawant, seeking a third-term from Sanquelim, could defeat his challenger — the Congress’ Dharmesh Saglani — by a margin of just 666 votes, Mr. Rane, the son of stalwart Congressman Pratapsingh Rane, won by a big margin of more than 8,000 votes from Valpoi, the fiefdom of the Rane clan.  

Earlier today, Mr. Sawant, along with Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, met with the PM and later with BJP national president J. P. Nadda.

Following the meeting, the PM tweeted from his official handle: “Met Dr. Pramod Sawant and the team of BJP Goa…Our party is grateful to the people of Goa for blessing us yet again with the mandate to serve the State. We will keep working for Goa’s progress in the times to come.”  

The BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party in the recently concluded Goa Assembly election by winning 20 of the 40 seats, is yet to form the new government in Goa.

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