Goa Assembly polls: BJP creates suspense over CM face as MLAs to take oath tomorrow

Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai has summoned the session of the state legislative Assembly on March 15 for administering the oath for new MLAs, while the BJP is yet to decide on the chief ministerial face.

MLA-elect Ganesh Gaonkar will be administered oath as pro-tem speaker on March 14 at Raj Bhavan by the governor after which the former would conduct the oath-taking ceremony for other legislators, PTI reported.

Even after four days of Goa Assembly election results, BJP is yet to decide if Pramod Sawant will be given a second chance to sit on the Chief Minister's chair or the party will be bringing a new CM.

On Saturday, BJP MLA-elect Vishwajit Rane, who is being seen as a top contender for the post, met the governor, setting off a political buzz. Rane, a former state health minister, confirmed his meeting with the governor but said that it was a “personal courtesy visit".

In a statement, Rane clarified that he met the governor as he wanted to invite Pillai to his Valpoi constituency and take his blessings following his poll victory. He met the governor after the latter dissolved the state Legislative Assembly, whose term expires on March 15.

Rane, who has won from the Valpoi Assembly seat, has been projecting himself as a frontrunner for the post of Goa Chief Minister after the BJP’s resounding victory in the state.

The BJP stormed back to power in Goa for the third consecutive term after emerging as the single largest party in the state. The saffron party won 20 out of 40 seats as the results of the just-concluded Assembly elections announced on March 10. Two members of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), a key regional player, and three Independent MLAs have already extended their support to the saffron party.