Political Upheaval Amid Transition Phase

PANAJI

: Chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s death on Sunday sparked a flurry of activities that started on Sunday night and didn’t end even till the early hours of Monday morning.


A famous starred hotel on the outskirts of the city was a beehive of activity as a senior union minister, MLAs and BJP officials played the perfect political game, keeping their cards close to their chest and waiting for the other to blink.

Nobody blinked till 5.30am, when the first round of talks concluded and they finally called it a day.

It all started with confirmation that Parrikar, who was suffering from pancreatic cancer for more than a year, had breathed his last on Sunday evening. News spread like wild fire and soon enough the coalition partners Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Goa Forward Party (GFP), who have three MLAs each, besides two independents, Rohan Khaunte and Govind Gaude, got into a huddle. The coalition partners had pledged their support only to Parrikar as the chief minister in writing, so with Parrikar’s death, a new leader had to be selected. Government formations is all about numbers, so it came as no surprise that the coalition group was joined by three BJP legislators, Vishwajit Rane,

Michael Lobo

and Glenn Ticlo at

Vijai Sardesai

’s apartment in Dona Paula.

Keen not to let power slip out of their hands in Goa, BJP swiftly moved into action mode. Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari—instrumental in forming the government in 2017—set out for Goa and arrived here a little after midnight. His arrival heightened activities at the hotel with mediapersons waiting for tidbits of information.

News started flying thick and fast in the dead of the night. When Gadkari landed here, the first choice for Goa’s next chief minister was North Goa member of parliament and senior state BJP leader Shripad Naik. The name was suggested by the central leadership in Delhi but the allies were unwilling to budge.

One section asked the party to choose the next CM from among the dozen MLAs that the party has in a house of 40. MGP, on the other hand, wanted one of their own, with Ramkrishna Dhavalikar making a strong case for himself. “We have sacrificed in the past and need to be rewarded now,” the party is understood to have told Gadkari, who did not budge, while holding closed-door confabulations at the hotel.

Keeping the house under suspended animation was another option that was being floated. The next to make their presence felt at the hotel were Goa Forward MLAs and two independents. Led by Sardesai, there was a demand for the deputy chief minister’s post, but just like the other ally, Goa Forward too left the hotel without agreeing to the terms.

In the early hours of the morning, it was clear that the race for the CM’s chair had narrowed down to just two contenders. BJP MLAs like Lobo and Ticlo, besides the group of five which includes Goa Forward and independents, threw their weight behind Vishwajit Rane. But Gadkari, and the party, finally placed their card on the table-- Pramod Sawant.

BJP’s choice of Sawant should not have surprised anyone. After all, Sawant is the only BJP MLA who comes from the RSS cadre and is understood to have good equations with senior leaders. Whether he was acceptable to everyone remained the moot question, which could not be answered till 5.30am when everyone decided to call it a day.

It was only later that morning when everyone regrouped after breakfast that there appeared to be some clarity. Dhavalikar had agreed, subject to approval from his own executive committee, while Goa Forward stuck to their demand for the deputy chief minister post. The other contender, Rane, appeared to bargain for a plum additional portfolio like home.

The sight of party president in Goa, Vinay Tendulkar, walking into the hotel with Sawant by his side was the cue that the speaker was now set for a big promotion. It was little after noon on Monday and quite a relief to all those who were forced to spend a sleepless night.