The Hindu : National : Digambar Kamat inducts eight more Ministers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Digambar Kamat inducts eight more Ministers

Special Correspondent

PANAJI: Ending eerie speculation and intense quibbling over ministerial berths within the ruling coalition, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat inducted eight more Ministers into his Cabinet on Monday, taking the size of his Ministry to 12.

Governor S.C. Jamir administered the oath of office and secrecy to six MLAs from the Congress, one from the Nationalist Congress Party and an Independent, at the Raj Bhavan. Senior Congress legislators Dayanand Narvekar, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Joaquim Alemao, Manohar Azgaonkar, Pandurang Madkaikar and Aleixo Sequeira were sworn in along with NCP legislator Francisco alias Micky Pacheco and Independent Vishwajeet Rane.

Mr. Rane, son of Speaker Pratapsinh Rane, is the only fresh face in the Cabinet.

While the expansion exercise left some of the aspirants within the Congress sulking, one of them, the only woman member of the House and three-time MLA Victoria Fernandes, created a flutter by going on a hunger-strike to protest against the denial of a Cabinet berth. The expansion has taken place almost after 18 days after Mr. Kamat was sworn in Chief Minister of the Congress-led coalition Government. Mr. Kamat had the uphill task of satisfying Congress MLAs as well as those from the supporting groups. Aspirants left out of the Cabinet chose to stay away from the swearing-in ceremony.

The Chief Minister had not allotted any portfolio to those sworn in on Monday as well.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section