BJP-led coalition in Goa won the floor test in the legislative assembly on Wednesday. The ruling coalition got 20 votes while the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party got 15.
The floor test was conducted by Deputy Speaker, Michael Lobo. Now, in the 40-member Goa assembly BJP coalition has 21 members, including Lobo.
The floor test victory established Pramod Sawant as the new CM of Goa. He was sworn in on Tuesday along with two deputy CMs, Sudin Dhavalikar of Maharashtravadi Gomantak Paksha (MGP) and Vijay Sardesai of Goa Forward (GF), and nine other ministers.
Sawant is the successor of Manohar Parrikar who died on Sunday.
The strength of the 40-member House has now been reduced to 36 due to the death of Parrikar and BJP MLA Francis D'Souza, and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte in 2018. As of now, Shirodkar and Sopte will be contesting by-polls on April 23rd on BJP tickets.
Initially, the House paid tributes to Parrikar, D'Souza and the former deputy speaker Vishnu Wagh before carrying out other formalities. New CM, Pramod Sawant broke down while paying his tributes to Parrikar while claiming that it was because of Parrikar that he became the legislator and Chief Minister.
The Public works department head, Dhavalikar then announced that the new Zuari Bridge being constructed will be named after Parrikar.