Soiru Velip
Panaji
Four ministers in the current BJP government are former Congress members and were part of Digambar Kamat’s cabinet during his tenure as Chief Minister between 2007
and 2012.
Kamat, the seven-time Margao MLA, was inducted in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s cabinet on Thursday.
In the Kamat-led Congress government, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik, Panaji MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, and Minister of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Nilkant Halarnkar were cabinet
ministers.
Senior MGP leader and Power Minister Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar was also a minister in Kamat’s government as an alliance partner.
Mauvin Godinho, now in the Sawant cabinet, was then a Congress MLA
and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
Observers say that although Kamat joined the Sawant cabinet late, the presence of many of his former colleagues gives the Margao MLA and seasoned politician
added weight.
In contrast, Sawant, Ramesh Tawadkar and Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai are from the BJP cadre.
Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte, who now holds a ministerial post, was originally an Independent MLA before joining the
BJP in 2022.
The induction of Kamat and Ramesh Tawadkar into the cabinet on Thursday may help strengthen the Sawant government with their political and administrative experience.
Observers believe this could be a strategy of the BJP leadership in expanding the cabinet.
