Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda to discuss the cabinet reshuffle in Goa. One cabinet berth has been vacant since October 2025 following the demise of Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik.
The decision to fill the cabinet berth is yet to be taken, but there has been considerable buzz in political circles about the cabinet reshuffle ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for February 2027. Sawant, accompanied by BJP state president Damodar Naik, met Nadda at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. The discussions focused on organizational strengthening, ongoing initiatives, and upcoming programs aimed at further empowering party workers and expanding outreach.
A few days ago, the chief minister had indicated that he would soon fill the vacant cabinet berth. Currently, the Ponda region, which had four ministers when the BJP formed the government in 2022, has seen changes. The ministers from Ponda included Water Resources Department Minister Subhash Shirodkar, Power Minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar, former Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, and former Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik.
On June 18, 2025, Sawant dropped Gaude from his cabinet after Gaude made serious allegations of corruption in the Tribal Welfare Department, which falls under Sawant's purview. The reshuffle is expected to address the vacancy and possibly bring in new faces to strengthen the government's performance ahead of the upcoming elections.
