NT NETWORK
PANAJI
After reserving a cabinet berth for former Valpoi MLA, Vishwajit Rane, the Bharatiya Janata Party will decide on another MLA to be accommodated into the cabinet by the end of this week. Two-time Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral is a front runner for the post.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will be visiting New Delhi on March 30. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah during his visit to the national capital and also discuss the expansion of the state cabinet with the party’s national leaders.
Sources Tuesday told this daily that it is no more a secret that Vishwajit, who resigned as MLA soon after taking oath on March 16 and also quit Congress party, would be inducted into the state cabinet. The party will soon suggest to the Chief Minister the name of another MLA for ministerial berth.
Parrikar inducted nine MLAs into his cabinet on March 14 of which only two are from BJP whereas seven are from the coalition partners. The two cabinet berths lying vacant are likely to be filled in the next week.
According to sources, though Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho, a former Congressman who joined BJP before assembly election, is insisting on his induction into the cabinet, Cabral could be the choice of the party as well as the Chief Minister.
There are arguments among party workers that since Cabral is a two-time BJP MLA from South Goa’s Curchorem constituency, he should be the choice for a ministerial berth. Sources said that Godinho, who was Congress MLA for many years, is a defector and added that it would send a wrong signal to the party workers if the Dabolim MLA is made a minister, as the Chief Minster has already inducted Cumbharjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar, who also joined BJP just before election.
Many BJP workers are insisting that the party leadership should induct Cabral into the cabinet, as he represents the remote Quepem taluka, which has had no representation in the cabinet since more than a decade and the argument is likely to find favour with the Curchorem MLA when a decision is taken by the party on whom to induct into the cabinet.
Sources also said that Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has sacrificed cabinet berth with the only aim of running smoothly the coalition government led by Parrikar. The sources pointed out that the party would be taking a wise decision by nominating Cabral for cabinet berth.