A day after the BJP President said that Manohar Parrikar will continue to as the chief minister of the state, two ministers have been dropped from cabinet in , the chief minister’s office (CMO) said Monday.
BJP’s Francis D’Souza, who was heading the urban development department, and Pandurang Madkaikar, who was the power minister, have been dropped from the cabinet, according to an official in the CMO. D’Souza and Madkaikar have been ailing for some time and are admitted at different hospitals.
Two BJP leaders – Nilesh Cabral and Milind Naik – will be sworn in as ministers Monday evening, the official said.
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The development comes at a time when Chief Minister Parrikar is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
D’Souza is currently admitted at a hospital in the USA, while Madkaikar, who had suffered a brain stroke in June, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai.
Naik was the power minister in the previous Laxmikant Parsekar-led cabinet, while Cabral would be sworn in for the first time.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah had said Sunday that Parrikar would continue in his post and announced that a reshuffle of the state’s ministers would soon take place.