Replacing Lobo, Chandrakant Kavlekar swears in as new Dy CM while 4 new minister formally get inducted to Goa cabinet

Panaji, July 13: Reshuffling the Goa Cabinet for the second time after taking the charge as state Chief Minister, Dr Sawant today gave positions to three of the 10 Congress lawmakers in Goa who switched to the BJP earlier this week, further inducting four new ministers in the Assembly.

 

Following Michael Lobo’s resignation as the Dy Chief Minister, Chandrakant Kavlekar, the former leader of opposition, has been sworn in his replacement.

 

 

On Friday, the CM Sawant had asked three legislators from the coalition partner, Goa Forward Party, and an independent legislator, Rohan Khaunte, to step down. Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai, Vinod Palienkar and Jayesh Salgaocar are the ministers from the Goa Forward Party, who later quit

 

"I have asked three GFP ministers and Khaunte to resign from the cabinet. I have given them the instructions as per the orders from my high command”, CM Sawant added assuring that the matter would be sorted out amicably.

 

This is after ten Congress MLAs on Wednesday joined the BJP increasing the strength of the party to 27 on the floor of the House. “We did not break their MLAs, they 10 came to us”, CM Pramod Sawant had said then managing the meet between the newly elects and the working president J P Nadda.

 

With this, the Congress, which had emerged as the single-largest party after the 2017 state elections, is now reduced to five legislators. The cabinet reshuffle in Goa however comes as the Congress-JDS coalition in Karnataka struggles to survive after the resignation of 18 lawmakers.