Sardinha sworn in pro-tem speaker in Goa

Congress member of Legislative Assembly Francisco Sardinha was on Monday sworn in as the pro-tem speaker of the Goa Assembly.

This follows the resignations of Speaker Vishwas Satarkar and his deputy Narhari Haldankar just before the assembly was to take up the confidence motion of the Pratap Singh Rane government, resulting in the cancellation of the motion.

"Francisco Sardinha was sworn in as pro-tem Speaker by the governor at around 7.30 pm [1930 IST]. The appointment letter was issued this [Monday] evening," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Luisinho Faleiro told reporters in Panaji.

"The governor issued the order after receiving the report of the legislature secretary regarding the events in the House today. This had to be done today itself as there cannot be a vacuum," he said.

• Goa speaker, deputy resign

Faleiro, a minister in the Pratap Singh Rane government, said the Cabinet would meet on Monday night with the single agenda of recommending to Governor S C Jamir the proroguing of the House.

However, Faleiro said the cabinet would not recommend a fresh date for the vote of confidence. "The March 4 deadline does not stand now as the situation has changed and nor is it our fault that the vote of confidence was not held today."

"The governor should now give us a fresh date. In fact, we feel we have already won the vote of confidence and there is no need to hold it again." 

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party said it will move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday on the dismissal of its government in Goa.

The party had earlier paraded its MLAs before President A P J Abdul Kalam and sought his intervention in the restoration of the Manohar Parrikar government.