Decision on three Goa cabinet berths in couple of months, says state BJP chief

Goa BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Monday said a decision on three state cabinet berths currently vacant will be taken "within a month or two". He was speaking to reporters minutes after Pramod Sawant took as the Goa's chief minister and eight other BJP MLAs were sworn in as cabinet ministers at a function near here.

The induction of three more ministers in the state cabinet would be done "within a month or two",Tanavade said, but refused to reveal whether those berths will be filled by non-BJP legislators.

Besides chief minister, the Goa cabinet can have 11 more ministers.


In the elections to the 40-member state Assembly held last month, the BJP won 20 seats, one short of a simple majority in the House.

Three independent MLAs and two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have extended support to the BJP.

A group of BJP MLAs had recently opposed the induction of MGP into the state cabinet. They had said the BJP did not require the support of the Deepak Dhavalikar-led political outfit.

Last week, BJP MLA Govind Gaude had said the MGP legislators should not be inducted into the cabinet as they had contested the Assembly polls against the BJP, in alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).