Pramod Sawant to continue as Goa CM, leadership issues settled: BJP

Ahead of the legislature party meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Subhash Phal Desai on Saturday claimed that "there's no need for further discussion on the issue of the next Goa chief minister since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Pramod Sawant will continue to lead the government in the state".

Desai's comments came amidst speculation doing the rounds in the political circles that Sawant will again be the chief minister of Goa.

Stating that the BJP is a party of disciplined workers, Desai told ANI, "Since the BJP is a national party, we need time to decide on the date of the swearing-in ceremony. I have said over a hundred times that if our prime minister says that Pramod Sawant is going to be the chief minister of Goa then there is no need for further discussion." 

He also stated that the swearing-in ceremony would be held as soon as possible, which has been delayed "because of Shigmo Utsav" being celebrated in Goa.

"The swearing-in ceremony will be held in three to four days. Besides Holi, Goans are celebrating Shigmotsav, which is very close to the people of Goa. We will follow the schedules given by the party high command and the swearing-in ceremony would be immediately held," Desai said.

In the recently concluded state Assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa, winning 20 seats in the 40-member state assembly and decimated Congress to 11 seats.

The BJP fell one seat short of the majority figure in Goa but is set to retain power in the state with the help of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak and independent candidates.

After the BJP parliamentary board's appointment of Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and L Murugan as the central observer and co-observer for Goa, the next chief minister's name will be announced in the BJP's state legislature party meeting.