New Goa minister Pawaskar gets PWD portfolio

A day after being inducted into the Goa Cabinet, minister Dipak Pawaskar was Thursday allotted the portfolio of Public Works Department (PWD) by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

A notification allotting the portfolio of PWD and the museum department to Pawaskar, who has crossed over to the BJP from the MGP, was issued by Joint Secretary (General Administration) Varsha Naik.

The PWD portfolio was earlier held by MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar, who was dropped from the Cabinet Wednesday by the chief minister.

Pawaskar was sworn-in late Wednesday night by Governor Mridula Sinha, hours after he along with another legislator Manohar Ajgaonkar broke away from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and joined the BJP.

A first-time MLA, Pawaskar won from the Sanvordem constituency of South Goa in the 2017 polls.

Ajgaonkar and Pawaskar split from the parent party in the early hours of Wednesday, formed their own legislature wing and then merged it with the BJP, which is heading the coalition government in the coastal state.

The MGP, Goa's oldest regional party, had won three seats in the 2017 assembly polls. Now, the outfit, which once ruled Goa, is left with only legislator - Dhavalikar.