Manohar Parrikar takes oath as Goa Chief Minister

Panaji (Goa, India), Mar 9 (PTI) Manohar Parrikar, who spearheaded Bhartiya Janata Party's emphatic win in the March 3 state assembly polls in Goa with majority of its own for the first time, today took oath as Chief Minister of the western Indian state at the head of a 6-member coalition government. Four BJP legislators Dayanand Mandrekar, Laxmikant Parsekar, Matanhy Saldana and Francis D'souza along with BJP's poll ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's Ramakrishna Dhavalikar were also sworn in. Goa Governor K Sankaranarayanan administered the oath. BJP President Nitin Gadkari, senior party leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Ravi Shankar Prasad, M Venkaiah Naidu and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were present. For the first time, BJP on its own secured majority in the 40-member Assembly with 21 members in recent elections. The BJP-led alliance, with the support of 26 legislators -- three from MGP and two independents -- had staked claim to form the government on March 6 after it swept the assembly polls, toppling the Congress-led government in the state. 56-year-old Parrikar had earlier been the chief minister twice at the head of coalitions but could never complete his five-year tenure. PTI