BJP fields Pramod Sawant for Goa Assembly Speaker's election

The BJP has decided to field its MLA Pramod Sawant for the post of Goa Assembly Speaker, the election for which will be held tomorrow.
The legislator from Sankhali constituency in North Goa is being supported by the BJP MLAs and the party's alliance partners.
"The BJP and all the alliance partners have decided to field Sawant for the post of Speaker," BJP legislator Michael Lobo told PTI today.
"He has the support of majority of the members on the floor of the House," Lobo claimed.
Meanwhile, the Congress has nominated its MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco for the Speaker's post.

"We will field Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco as our candidate for the Speaker's post. We will appeal to the NCP and independents to support our candidate," Congress Legislature Party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar told reporters here today.

He said the Congress will try to garner maximum support for their candidate as the number of non-BJP legislators is more on the floor of the House.
The election for the post of Speaker would be held when the state Assembly session begins tomorrow.
In the newly elected 40-member House, the BJP currently has the support of 23 legislators, including 13 from its own party, three each from Goa Forward Party and MGP, three Independents and one from NCP.

The Congress is left with only 16 candidates after one of its members, Vishwajit Rane, resigned protesting the party's failure to form the government.