Three out of 10 Congress Defectors on Saturday were inducted in the state cabinet led by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Congress defectors including Filipe Nery Rodrigues, Jennifer Monserrate, and Chandrakant Kavleka, took the oath as ministers in Goa Government. Apart from this, Former Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo was also administered the oath on Saturday.
The four new ministers have been inducted in the state cabinet after 3 Ministers of Goa Forward Party and One Independent Minister were dropped by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant earlier in the day.
Filipe Nery Rodrigues, Jennifer Monserratte, and Chandrakant Kavleka, three out of the ten MLAs who joined BJP from Congress recently, take oath as ministers in Goa Government. Former Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo also takes oath. pic.twitter.com/ns9PpK9CtA
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2019
While earlier in the day, Gourish S Kurtikar, Joint Secretary of Goa Administrative Department (GAD) in a statement stated that Governor accepts the recommendation of CM that Vijai Sardesai, Rohan Khaunte, Vinoda Paliencar, and Jayesh Salgaonkar shall cease to be the Members of the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect.
Sardesai, Khaunte, and Paliencar are from Goa Forward, BJP ally, while Jayesh Salgaonkar is an Independent MLA who was among those dropped by the Chief Minister from his State Cabinet.
Gourish S Kurtikar, Joint Secretary of Goa Administrative Department (GAD): Governor accepts the recommendation of CM that Vijai Sardesai, Rohan Khaunte, Vinoda Paliencar & Jayesh Salgaonkar shall cease to be the Members of the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/qdxTXkewuo
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2019
While earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party Goa Lawmaker Micheal Lobo resigned from Deputy Speaker on the backdrop of reports suggesting him to be inducted in the State Cabinet. Micheal Lobo submitted his resignation to Goa Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker, Michael Lobo stated, ‘I Micheal Lobo, Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, hereby tender my resignation as Deputy Speaker of Goa with effect from today July 13′.
The Cabinet reshuffle came days after the 10 out of 15 Congress MLAs in Goa shifted loyalties and merged with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Following the merger episode, Congress is left with just 5 MLAs in the state where it was the single largest party after 2017 Assembly polls. While Bharatiya Janata Party has now 27 MLAs in 40-member Assembly.
Bharatiya Janata Party is now heading the government with 27 Legislators, Goa Forward Party has 3, MGP has one, while 3 are Independent MLAs.
While the opposition has now 6 MLAs – 5 from Indian National Congress and a lone from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
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