Goa Cabinet to reshuffle again after Dy Speaker Michael Lobo resigns; 3 MLAs to swear in by 3 pm today

News Bharati    13-Jul-2019
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Panaji, July 13: Ahead of the Goa cabinet reshuffle scheduled today replacing four ministers, Goa Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar has said that the assembly will be working as scheduled although new ministers were to be inducted.
 
“New Ministers will have to study their portfolios while answering questions on floor of the House. Congress will have to give name of leader of opposition by 15 July”, he added further assuring that the swearing-in ceremony would be held at 3 pm today.
 
 
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.
 
CM Sawant meanwhile said that the three members from coalition partner Goa Forward Party and an Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte would be dropped from the cabinet after the Dy Speaker Michael Lobo resigned on Friday.
 
He refused to name the MLAs who would be inducted but said all the four would be from the BJP, with three of them from the legislators who joined the party on Wednesday.
 
This would the second cabinet reshuffle by Sawant since he took over as the chief minister three months ago. In his first cabinet reshuffle, Sawant had inducted MGP's breakaway MLA Deepak Pauskar after dropping then deputy chief minister Sudin Dhavalikar.
 
“The decision will be taken as per directives of the central leadership. I don't want to go into details. We have taken this decision to give good governance to the people," CM Sawant said having the support by three MLAs from the Goa Forward Party and an Independent.