Pramod Sawant to be new Goa Chief Minister, swearing-in ceremony tonight: Sources

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday named Pramod Sawant as the next chief minister of Goa, according to the sources. The new chief minister is likely to sworn-in at 11 pm. The sources further added that Maharashtra Gomantak Party's (MGP)  Sudin Dhavalikar and Goa Forward Party's (GFP) Vijay Sardesai will be two Deputy Chief Ministers of Sawant in Goa.

Pramod Sawant has been the Goa Assembly Speaker since March 22, 2017. He also represented Sanquelim seat of North Goa in state Assembly.

The BJP with its allies has 20 MLAs in the house where the majority mark is 19. The strength of the Goa legislative assembly is 40. The BJP is backed by the Goa Forward Party, MGP and an independent.

Earlier, Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar had said there would be clarity on who would be the state's new chief minister by on Monday. Tendulkar said this after meeting Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari at a hotel near here over the issue.

.@BJP4India President @AmitShah, Union Minister @nitin_gadkari and BJP Goa MLAs including Pramod Sawant arrive at a Hotel in Panaji for a meeting

📸: ANIhttps://t.co/xueQw1ruvH pic.twitter.com/QYW4pr7afq

— News Nation (@NewsNationTV) March 18, 2019

Hectic political activities are on in the coastal state to select the new chief minister after the death of chief minister Manohar Parrikar Sunday. "The decision on chief ministerial candidate is yet to be taken. But the picture will be clear by 2 pm," Tendulkar said, adding that the new chief minister would be sworn in after 3 pm Monday.

Tendulkar met Gadkari along with Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant, who is a contender for the top post. Earlier in the day, Gadkari met ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLAs led by Sudin Dhavalikar and BJP legislator Vishwajit Rane.

Dhavalikar and Rane are also aspirants for the chief minister's post, BJP sources said. Sawant and Rane are front- runners, they added. Meetings held on Sunday night by the BJP and its alliance partners the Goa Forward Party, the MGP and independents - remained inconclusive.

Gadkari again held talks Monday morning with leaders of the BJP and MGP to finalise Parrikar's successor.