First CM post statehood to complete period continuously
Panaji: In a first, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today completes seven continuous years in office, marking a significant political milestone in the state’s post-statehood history.
An Ayurvedic doctor, Sawant was sworn in as Chief Minister of Goa at the age of 45, on March 19, 2019, following the demise of former Defence Minister and ex-chief minister Manohar Parrikar on March 17, 2019.
Before Sawant, the longest-serving BJP chief minister in the state was Manohar Parrikar, who held office for a total of around nine years across four terms (October 2000-February 2002, June 2002-April 2005, March 2012-November 2014 and March 2017-March 2019).
Sawant was Speaker of the Goa legislative assembly before he was named successor to Parrikar. Like Parrikar, he never served as a minister before being catapulted to the CM’s post.
His political acumen became clear soon within weeks of taking over the reins of the state, as there was a split in the MGP with two of its MLAs joining the BJP.
Four months later, 10 MLAs from the Congress joined BJP, making it a party with full majority. To make way for new inductees, Sawant dropped four ministers with whom Parrikar had formed the government when BJP had only 13 MLAs. Those who were axed were three ministers from GFP – Vijai Sardesai, Jayesh Salgaonkar and Vinod Palienkar, and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte. (The Porvorim MLA joined BJP in December 2021 ahead of 2022 polls).
Sawant has since led the state through multiple challenges, including governance reforms, infrastructure development and the Covid-19 pandemic. Political analysts say Sawant played his cards well.
Sawant successfully led the Bharatiya Janata Party for a third consecutive term in the 2022 assembly elections. Despite anti-incumbency, Sawant proved his mettle by winning 20 seats in the 40-member assembly.
Completion of seven uninterrupted years in office places Sawant among the more stable leaders in Goa’s political history, a notable achievement in a state known for its shifting political dynamics.
Sawant is the third BJP chief minister in the state after Parrikar and Laxmikant Parsekar, who was in office from 2014 to 2017.
It is also important to note that during Sawant’s tenure, Congress MLAs defected to BJP in bulk on two occasions. In July 2019, a group of 10 Congress legislators merged with BJP and in September 2022, a group of eight Congress MLAs merged with BJP. Today, the Sawant government is enjoying the support of 32 legislators, including three independents and two MGP legislators.
