Panaji: After much dilly-dallying, the BJP central leadership has appointed incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as the Chief Minister of Goa for a second term.

Senior legislator  Vishwajit Rane proposed the name of Pramod Sawant as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party. Everyone unanimously elected Sawant. Sawant will be a leader for the next five years, announced Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister and BJP’s central observer for Goa.

BJPLP meeting was conducted here and attended by L.Murugan, Goa BJP in charge and party general secretary C.T. Ravi, Goa Assembly poll in-charge Devendra Fadnavis and Party State unit President Sadanand Shet Tanavade.

He said the party will now stake a claim to form the next government in Goa. The BJP is power in Goa since 2012, it is the party’s third term in office.

After meeting with the Goa governor, Sreedharan Pillai for staking claim to form the government, CM designate Pramod  Sawant told the reporters that " We have submitted the letter of support by 25 MLAs - 20 BJP MLAs, 3 Independent MLAs and  2 MGP MLAs. Governor has given us permission to form Govt. We will announce the date of the swearing-in ceremony soon after discussing it with the central leadership". 

However, party central leadership has chosen Mr. Sawant for the top post,  even RSS has backed its hardcore loyalist Sawant for the CM post.

In the recently-held elections in Goa, the BJP had won 20 seats, just one short of a simple majority, in the 40-member House.

The saffron party's nearest rival Congress won 11 seats, AAP got two, Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) two, Independents three, Revolutionary Goans and Goa Forward Party got one each.

The BJP's best performance till date had been 21 seats won by it in 2012 when late Manohar Parrikar dominated Goa's political scene.