Sawant, Rane meet Shah as uncertainty over govt formation in Goa continues

With the Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party meeting in Goa yet to be convened even as the assembly poll results were declared on March 10, state's caretaker chief minister Pramod Sawant and his party colleague Vishwajit Rane together met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

The meeting took place on Saturday evening, Rane said.

Both Sawant and Rane are being seen as top contenders for the post of chief minister in the state.

BJP sources confirmed that in the recent past, Rane had expressed his desire for the CM's post.

According to the party sources, Shah had asked Sawant and Rane to meet him together in New Delhi.

In the Goa Assembly polls, the BJP has won the majority by bagging 20 seats in the 40-member House. With two MLAs of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three Independents extending their support to BJP, the saffron party appears to be in a comfortable position in the Assembly.

However, the BJP has not yet staked a claim to form a government in the state, which will be its third straight term. BJP's Goa unit chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade had told reporters earlier that the party will form the government after Holi celebrations.

"Both the leaders (Sawant and Rane) met Shah together and discussed various issues related to Goa," party sources said without elaborating.

BJP president J P Nadda was also present during the meeting.

When contacted, Rane confirmed that he met Shah along with Sawant.

"The meeting was about various issues related to Goa," he said.

Sawant was not available for comments.

The BJP's parliamentary board, the top decision-making body of the party, is yet to formally announce the name of the next Goa chief minister.

The party has appointed Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and L Murugan as the observer and co-observer, respectively, to oversee the selection of the chief minister and process to stake claim to form the next government.

On Wednesday, Sawant had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss about formation of the next government. He was accompanied by BJP's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadanavis, Goa desk in-charge C T Ravi, Tanavade and the party's state general secretary (organisation) Satish Dhone.