Shripad is frontrunner  for CM post

PANAJI: The name of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Shripad Naik emerged as the new leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature wing, at the meeting of the BJP leaders, including party MLAs headed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

However, some of the BJP leaders stated that since Naik has been already selected as the party’s candidate for North Goa constituency, for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, it would not be proper to do so. They further maintained that selecting Naik as the leader of the BJP legislature wing would be a short-term measure for formation of the government.

It is also learnt that some of the alliance partners of the government took objection to Naik being selected as the leader of the BJP’s legislature wing and new leader of the government.

The deliberations continued with Gadkari trying to convince both, his own party men and the leaders of the alliance parties.

With Parrikar’s demise, the strength of the Goa Assembly is 36 with BJP now having 12 MLAs.