BJP Decides: Pramod Sawant to be Goa Chief Minister, MGP's Sudin Dhavalikar and GFP's Vijai Sardesai to be Deputy CMs, swearing-in set for tonight, as per sources

The BJP and its allies have decided on Pramod Sawant  who is currently the Goa assembly's Speaker to be the next Chief Minister of the state following the untimely demise of Manohar Parrikar, as per party sources, with ally MGP's Sudin Dhavalikar to get a deputy CM post and the same for Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai. 

The decision comes after a hectic day-long parlay between the BJP, including union minister Nitin Gadkari, and its allies in the state. As per sources, the swearing-in will be held on Monday night itself.

The move by the BJP to confirm the new terms of the alliance comes even as the Congress party met with the state's Governor Mridula Sinha and staked a claim to forming a government in the state, citing how they were the single-largest party.

However, as was the case in 2017 following the Goa Assembly elections, the Congress doesn't have a majority by itself in the 40-member assembly which currently has a strength of 36 owing to passing away of BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and the resignation of Congress MLAs Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar before Goa CM Parrikar succumbed to the Pancreatic Cancer he had been fighting since February 2018.

At the moment, here are the seat-strengths of each of the parties:

Congress: 14
BJP: 12
Goa Forward: 3
MGP: 3
NCP: 1
Speaker: 1 (BJP)
Independent: 3

UPA Vs NDA numbers:

Congress: 15
BJP-led NDA: 21
Majority mark: 19

Earlier, the NDA allies have made it clear that they would support only a government led by Manohar Parrikar, who served as the chief minister of the state for four times. This was the reason why Parrikar had quit as the Defence Minister and returned to Goa in early 2017 ahead of the Assembly election in the state.

Who is Pramod Sawant:

Pramod Sawant is the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is an MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa. He is also an Ayurvedic doctor by training.

Sawant holds a degree in BAMS (Bachelor in Ayurvedic Medicine) from Ganga Aruvedic Medical College, and also holds a degree in MSW (Master In Social Work).

He had on Sunday tweeted about Manohar Parrikar's demise and called him a fatherly figure.