Goa cabinet expansion likely soon

PANAJI, JULY 2: Chief Minister of Goa Luizinho Faleiro is expected to expand the cabinet over the weekend. He is presently camping in New Delhi to obtain clearance from Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard. The Congress Government in the state presently has five ministers in addition to the Chief Minister. As per the Congress party manifesto the party has promised to limit its cabinet to seven in addition to the Chief Minister.

Faleiro8217;s present cabinet consists of former chief ministers Ravi Naik and Churchill Alemao, former Member of Parliament Fransisco Sardinha and a new face Nirmala Sawant. In addition former deputy chief minister and Faleiro rival Dayanand Narvekar has also been accommodated. Several ministers in earlier Congress Governments have been left out resulting in widespread dissidence against Faleiro. The chief minister enjoys a slender majority of one MLA in the 40-member house. Suresh Parulekar, an MLA of the two-member Goa Rajiv Congress is in Delhi along with Faleiro as he is keen to join the Congress, say party sources.

As part of her efforts to stamp out dissidence within the party, Sonia and AICC general secretary Madhavrao Scindia are meeting with Congress leaders from the state. Speaker of the Goa assembly and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane left for the capital in this connection.

The party is also in the process of shortlisting its candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state. Sitting MP John Fernandes is keen on contesting again. Also in the fray for the Congress ticket are former Congress chief Shantaram Naik and former external affairs minister Eduardo Faleiro. The Chief Minister is also evaluating the contestants for the RS seat along with party leaders, say sources.