Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: BJP legislator Ganesh Gaonkar was elected Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday, securing a majority vote during a special session called for the purpose.
Governor P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju had convened the session following the resignation of former Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, who joined the Sawant-led cabinet, leaving the position vacant.
During the Thursday morning session, Gaonkar received 32 votes, defeating Congress candidate Altone D’Costa, who managed only seven votes. D’Costa, the MLA from Quepem in South Goa, was backed by the opposition. The BJP, holding 28 seats in the Assembly, drew additional support from two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLAs and three Independents. The opposition included three Congress MLAs, two from Aam Aadmi Party, and one each from Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goans Party.
Deputy Speaker Joshua D’Souza, who chaired the proceedings, formally declared 66-year-old Gaonkar as the new Speaker. He was escorted to the Chair by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, both of whom later congratulated him on his election.
This marks the second time Gaonkar will occupy the Speaker’s chair in the current state government. He previously served as pro-tem Speaker after the BJP’s 2022 election victory, administering oaths to the newly elected MLAs.
A two-time MLA from Sanvordem, Gaonkar first won on a BJP ticket in 2012 but lost the seat to Deepak Pauskar of MGP in 2017. He reclaimed the constituency in 2022, contesting under the leadership of Pramod Sawant.
In the current Assembly term, Gaonkar has also been a member of the House committee examining the diversion of the Mhadei river by Karnataka.
