Divided Cong gives Goa CM post to Kamat

With the Congress party divided between former chief minister Pratap Sinh Rane and Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Ravi Naik for the chief minister's post, Digambar Kamat was today sworn-in as the 19th CM of Goa.

The Margao legislator was elected as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader at its meeting held last night at a resort here.

It took the Congress three days to finalise the new CM. AICC general secretary and Goa in-charge Margaret Alva said, "There are no more differences in the party and it will now work as a team."

The CLP meeting was attended by all the 16 MLAs of the Congress, besides AICC observers Alva and Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

The Congress won 16 seats in the June 2 Assembly elections, while its ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won 3 seats. The combine also has the backing of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which has two MLAs, and two Independents.

The MGP and Independent legislator from Valpoi Vishwajit Rane, son of Pratap Sinh Rane, wanted Rane to be the new CM, even as the other legislators were supporting Naik for the post. "Considering that the party is divided between the two front-runners, Kamat was the obvious choice for the post," Alva added.

The 54-year-old Kamat played a key role in bringing down the BJP-led Manohar Parrikar government in 2005. Besides being the power minister, he was also the deputy chief minister in the BJP regime and retained the portfolio in the Congress-led Pratap Sinh Rane government.

After being sworn-in as the new CM, Kamat said, "My government will be for the common man... I always carry people with me. I have no ego problems nor do I try to create prestige issues, so I am confident that I will be able to successfully work with my coalition partners."

"The new Regional Plan and all previous land conversions will be made 'null and void'," he added.

Goa Congress chief Ravi Naik, NCP legislator Jose Phillip D'Souza and MGP legislator Sudhin Dhawlikar were also sworn-in as ministers in the state cabinet.