BJP's Pramod Sawant Takes Oath As Goa Chief Minister At 2 am

The BJP's Pramod Sawant, 45, took oath at 2 am today as the nation mourned his predecessor Manohar Parrikar. The swift chain of events that ended with a hasty, post-midnight ceremony, had started soon after Manohar Parrikar died on Sunday evening. The tough negotiations with BJP allies, which continued overnight, were resolved after party chief Amit Shah stepped in and two lawmakers of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) joined the BJP. Mr Sawant will have two deputies - unprecedented for the tiny seaside state. One is from the MGP and the other from the Goa Forward Party, which had objected to the former Speaker's candidature.