Goa gets CM with saffron past

PANAJI: Digambar Kamat, the man who pulled down the BJP government in 2005, was on Friday sworn in as the chief minister of Goa after Congress and its coalition partners, the NCP and MGP, agreed on his name.
Goa governor S C Jamir also administered oath of office to three cabinet ministers — Ravi Naik (Congress), Jose Philipe D’Souza (NCP) and Ramakrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party’s (MGP).
Digambar, 52, heads a coalition government comprising 16 members of Congress, three of NCP, two MGP members and two independents in the 40-member House. The new CM is expected to expand the ministry after talks with Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The process of CM’s selection was hardly smooth, though. Digambar’s name cropped up after a prolonged war of words between two factions of the 23 legislators till late Thursday over the names of Congress chief Ravi Naik and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane.
It was around 12.30 am that the newly-elected legislators agreed on Digambar’s candidature for CM.
Soon thereafter, Congress legislature party met to elect Digambar as its leader. Congress observer R K Dhawan then announced that Rane had served long and was not interested in continuing as chief minister. When Digamar’s name was announced, Naik did not look happy.
Earlier, Naik’s candidature was strongly opposed by two MLAs (brothers) of MGP, Ramkrishna ‘Sudhin’ Dhavlikar and Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavlikar, and independent MLA and Rane’s son, Vishwajeet. The three were adamant about supporting Rane and no one else.
Described as the "best choice" under the circumstances, Digmabar, frank and affable, said it would be a "common man’s government" with sharp focus on law and order. He also said land conversions under the controversial 2011 regional plan would be officially declared null and void.
Asked whether he expected to be the "chosen one", Digambar said the possibility of such a thing was always there, but added, it was a last minute decision by party leaders. Digambar began his political career with Congress but got elected to the assembly on a BJP ticket in 1994. Since then he has represented Margao in South Goa. In 2005, he was one of the five legislators who quit the BJP government and assembly. Digambar later joined Congress.
"Yes, I did go to RSS shakas when I was around 10 years old but at that time one hardly knows what it is all about," he said. Soon after the swearing-in, Digambar and his wife Asha, who was present at the ceremony, visited the famous Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji.