Digamber Kamat sworn in as Goa chief minister

PANAJI: A former BJP man is the Congress’s Goa chief minister. Digamber Kamat, instrumental in bringing down the BJP government in 2005, and then joined the Congress, was on Friday sworn in as the 19th chief minister of Goa. He is heading a four-member coalition.

In true Congress spirit, Mr Kamat was “unanimously” elected after the party’s regional satraps and the observer from the Centre failed to find a way out of the three-day deadlock over the issue.

State Congress chief Ravi Naik, the prime contender for the chief minister’s post, Nationalist Congress Party’s Jose Piliphe D’Souza and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party’s (MGP) Ramakrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar were sworn-in as Cabinet ministers.

The Congress, which bagged 16 seats in the assembly polls, and its ally NCP, which won three seats, are supported by two MGP MLAs and two independents, including Vishwajeet, the son of former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane. Thus the coalition has 23 members.
Though it was agreed during initial discussions that the deputy chief minister’s post would be given to the NCP, party leaders are yet to formally announce the person who will hold this post.

“We are finalising the modalities for the DCM’s post, right now our priority is to install the government,” NCP observer Gurunath Kulkarni told media persons. There were indications, however, that everything was not well within the NCP as the party changed its legislature wing leader on Thursday. Senior MLA Francisco alias Mickey Pacheco who was in the race for the post of deputy chief minister was replaced by Jose Phillip D’Souza.

Apparently piqued by the move, Pacheco abstained from attending the swearing-in ceremony on Friday where D’Souza was inducted into the Cabinet. “Pacheco had no formal approval from the central leadership,” Mr Kulkarni said, refusing to speak further on the issue that he termed as the “party’s internal matter”.

When contacted, Pacheco too refused to comment. Another alliance partner, the MGP, however, seems to be happy with the deal.

On the very first day of his appointment, Kamat said that all land conversions made under the Regional Plan 2011 (which was de-notified later) stands null and void, and instead a new Regional Plan will be drafted soon. “Ours is a common man’s government,” Kamat said. It is estimated that approximately 3.2 crore sq mt of forest area was converted under the previous regional plan.

Kamat emerged as the consensus candidate early on Friday morning; after much deliberation and discussion amongst the Congress MLAs, which lasted for over three days. Though his name was always under consideration, it was finalised only when the two camps supporting Pratapsinh Rane and Ravi Naik remained divided over leadership issue. “Congress high command wanted me, but then we have to look at our allies also”, said a rather saddened Ravi Naik, adding, “Our task now is to give a stable government.”