Former Goa Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who had defied the party whip to vote against the trust motion of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar last month, on Thursday formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The chief minister tried to soothe frayed nerves by hailing doctors for their invaluable and tireless service in saving lives.
Deviya Rane said it is historic that no legislator (in Goa) has won consecutively so many times from the same seat.
Both Sawant and Rane are being seen as top contenders for the post of chief minister in the state.
At least six people were killed and 30 injured in a stampede during a temple festival in North Goa, India. The incident occurred at the Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village, around 40 km from Panaji, as thousands of devotees thronged the narrow lanes to the temple for the annual festival.
The state government has decided to designate the ESI Hospital in South Goa district for the purpose of keeping all the patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 after their arrival from the UK, he said.
Rane did not rule out the possibility of joining the BJP, saying 'all options are open'.
Vishwajit Rane purportedly can be heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting last week Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom, Surjewala claimed, playing the conversation for the media outside Parliament.
Rane, 87, who has served as the chief minister of the coastal state for six times, had won from the Poriem assembly constituency as many as 11 consecutive times.
Parrikar was discharged from Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on February 22, a week after he was admitted there.
With the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress in the poll arena, the election is expected to be a multi-cornered one this time.
The cruise liner, where the Narcotics Control Bureau busted a high-profile rave party in October last year, was carrying hordes of New Year revellers.
Watch this space to see what happens in the politically volatile state.
The fires that have broken out in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa are being kept under control through the joint efforts of the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and the forest department, state minister Vishwajit Rane said.
A series of close-door meetings are being held at the chief minister's official residence at Altinho in Panaji, where Congress and NCP legislators are working on their strategy, sources said.
An 85-year-old woman, who tested positive for coronavirus earlier, succumbed to the infection on Monday.
The Goa government will not impose any COVID-19-related restrictions till January 2 but will review the situation on January 3, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday after chairing a high-level meeting in Panaji.
The state government had not issued any statement or made any comment about the health condition of Parrikar, who is currently recuperating at his private residence after undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
Vishwajit Rane, who had unsuccessfully lobbied for the CM's post, has been given crucial Health and Town and Country Planning Portfolios along with Urban Development, Women and Child, and Forest departments.
Sawant took the oath in Konkani language.
Sawant, 47, said he is asymptomatic and under home isolation.
A few local public transport unions have also suspended their services fearing the spread in the interiors of the state.
The protest continued even as the Supreme Court intervened in the matter and constituted a 10-member National Task Force to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Three passengers, including a British national of Goan-origin, who arrived at the international airport near here on a flight from the United Kingdom on early Friday, tested positive for COVID-19, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.
The Special Investigation Team of the Goa police has booked former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane and his legislator son for allegedly accepting a Rs 6 crore bribe to facilitate the clearance of a mining lease.
The biggest jolt the Congress came in 2019 when a group of its 10 MLAs, led by then leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, left the party together and joined the ruling BJP.
BJP leader and caretaker chief minister Pramod Sawant is the clear favourite for the post of the CM but faces some opposition.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, however, did not specify when its implementation is likely to start. He said that he has discussed the issue with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Sardesai is the second member of the cabinet after health minister Vishwajit Rane to talk about the exact nature of Parrikar's illness.
Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said 26 Covid-19 patients died at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the early hours and sought an investigation by the high court to find out the exact cause.
A war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP over Parrikar's purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale jet deal "lying in his bedroom".
As many as 66 of the over 2,000 people on board the Cordelia cruise ship, which came to Goa from Mumbai, had tested positive for COVID-19, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.
As people queued up across these states to cast their vote, there were some famous faces in the lines at different polling stations.
It was crucial for the BJP to bag the two seats as it does not enjoy a majority on its own in the 40-member assembly.
In the 2017 state assembly polls, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats.
Goa CM said that all the seven persons are natives of Goa, but six of them had returned to the state from abroad.
Parrikar has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment for the last one year and has undergone treatment in the United States as well as at AIIMS Delhi and a private hospital in Mumbai.
The opposition Congress could muster only 16 votes against the government with one of its legislators absenting from the crucial floor test.
In the last two-and-a half years, the Congress has lost 13 of its MLAs to the BJP which now enjoys an overwhelming majority in the assembly.
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